The Mistakes I've Made
by LittleMusicLover
Summary: Four girls, each having lost the ones they love. May, thrown out of house. Dawn, her marriage with her childhood sweetheart failing. Misty, who just wants something more in life. Leaf, who has done what she swore she would never do. Meeting by chance, they learn to save each other from themselves. Contest,Ikari,Poke,Oldrival/Leafgreen shippings.
1. Chapter 1

**Hey!**

**This is my second story. My first, To Grow Up will be updated at varying intervals, as I write the one shots. **

**This has been read through many times, so I hope all the grammar and everything is good, and I hope you enjoy reading it.**

**Thanks :)**

_**Prologue**_

A door slammed. Footsteps could be heard marching down the hallway. A woman, wrapped in a sheet ran with lighter steps. She reached out and grabbed his arm, only to have it yanked out of her grip. She ran ahead and blocked the doorway.

"Please don't go.."

The man went to move past her, but she was agile, and blocked him again.

"How could you do this to me?"

"I don't know what happened. He came over, and he said he was going to help me. You know how I've been sick."

"I fail to see how that," he pointed down the hallway, "is helping you get better."

"I didn't know you would be home so soon.."

"And that would make a difference?"

"I didn't mean for you to see.." she trailed off.

The man looked towards the heavens. What had he done to deserve this? For once in his life, he had made a serious attempt to commit. He took absolute care when interacting with the opposite gender nowadays. There was a time when he had used them as objects for his pleasure.

Couldn't she see that he had changed for her?

"Listen to me... I.. I love you, and I know I am not the best at showing it, but.." He trailed off, trying to find the right words, "When I'm coming home at night, all I think about is seeing you, and that's new for me. But you betrayed me tonight, you treated me like I was one of those drunks you sing to at night; nothing more than a customer. How can I know you won't do it again? How can I trust you again?"

"No!" she threw her arms around him, bursting into tears. He shrugged her off with ease and let himself out.

She let the tears fall freely. She knew it was her fault. He knew it was her fault. She had taken the best thing that had happened to her and singlehandedly disfigured it beyond recognition, beyond repair.

_**Pokémon**_

"Can you not do anything right?"

"What have I done now?"

"You burned the meat. Now we have no dinner!"

"So get one of the microwave meals out of the freezer. It's not that hard."

"You wreck everything. I swear, if you want something done around here, you have to do it yourself."

"So do it yourself. Don't blame me."

"Well someone has to be blamed, and it's not my fault, so guess where the blame is going."

"You are so stubborn!"

"I'm stubborn? Have you looked in a mirror lately?"

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"I'll leave you to figure that out. Speaking of mirrors, you look like you've gotten a little pudgier lately. Maybe you should lay off those pasta dishes."

"I have not put on weight! And besides, putting on weight would be better than looking like a girl when I'm supposed to be a big, strong man."

He paused, taking deep breaths to calm himself.

"Get out."

"What?"

"I said get out."

"Why should I?"

"Because this is my house, and I was letting you stay here out of the goodness of my heart while you found your place in this town. And you have breached my terms and conditions. Now get out."

"You're kicking me out?"

He walked to the door and opened it.

She stood, frozen, a statue. She prayed he was joking, prayed that at any minute he would give her some sign of forgiveness, and things would go back to the way they were.

She had thought they were friends, that something as trivial as the burning of food would do nothing to their relationship. It wouldn't to most, even if they were barely acquaintances.

But as he coughed impatiently, a simple message, she realised that he could never have felt the same way as her.

She was homeless.

_**Pokémon**_

"You pig! I told you I was going out and I come back and the place is trashed! What did you do?"

"I made myself a sandwich, and then I grabbed a beer. Geeze, don't get so worked up, it won't take you long to clean it up."

"What? For me? Me, to clean it up! What am I? Your servant?"

"Well, this is what you do isn't it? I go to work and get the money. My money, which I allow you to use."

"So all I'm good for is cooking and cleaning? You don't think that I could do what you do? Work, and earn my own way? You are wrong!"

Wind rattled the window pane, and it suddenly burst open.

She ran to the window and fought with it, trying to shut it, however the blizzard was strong.

She felt strong arms wrap around her and reach out to the window. The hands attached to the arms seemed to effortlessly close the window, and lock the latch.

"You were saying?"

"I could have done that." But there was no longer and defiance in her voice. He embraced her and caressed one of her hands with his. He found one finger in particular, and played with the ring on it.

"We have to support each other. We made a commitment when we stood in front of all those people, and you were wearing that expensive white dress, to honour each other and respect each other. I don't think you respect me. I go out and work every day, doing a job I don't like, so that I can pay for those expensive things you want. Let me be the man here. You're a woman, don't think you can bite off more than you can chew without having to ask me for help."

That brought the anger back.

"I don't respect you? You don't respect me."

And with that the woman stormed out the door.

_**Pokémon**_

The room was silent. The sun was peeking through the curtains.

A young woman was sleeping, her head rested on the shoulder of the man next to her. His head was resting on top of hers, and his arm was wrapped around her protectively.

She stirred, her movement causing him to wake up.

He smiled, "Morning,"

"Morning," she tilted her head up and kissed him, gently, so as not to break the bubble that surrounded them, the one that made them oblivious to all that surrounded them.

"What do you want to do today?"

"I was thinking… we could go pack some food and go to the beach, and I could teach you how to surf."

"I think I have something better."

"Really?"

"Yeah. Hold on." He got up and stretched his limbs, easing out the tension that had built up overnight. He left the room, and was gone for only a few seconds. When he came back, he was holding a DVD in his hand.

"I saw this when I was coming home from work last week. I thought you would like it."

She smiled. He had the best taste in movies. She knew she would enjoy it. But, deep down, she also knew that she did not want to spend this beautiful day curled up on the couch, watching movies, even if she was with her boyfriend.

But she did not say that.

"Sure."

Two hours later the movie finished. She had tuned out about half way through, instead thinking about what she had done with her life; what she was going to do later.

"Are you okay?"

She was jolted out of her musings, suddenly angry that he had to ask if she was okay, shouldn't he already know? But again she didn't say that.

"No, I'm not."

He paused. "What's wrong?"

"We need to talk."

"What's there to talk about? You're my girlfriend, right? Please don't tell me you want to break up with me."

"No, I love you," this time it was a genuine smile, "but... I'm bored."

He looked confused. "What do you mean? You know we're not ready to…"

"I know, it's not like that. I mean, I'm not doing anything with my life. I graduated two years ago, and I haven't done anything. I'm not going to university or TAFE, I don't even have a job."

"What am I supposed to do?"

"I don't know... anything..."

There was silence for a moment, and then, "I don't know what I can do."

She sighed, "Fine, just... it's fine. I should probably go home."

"Bye."

She kissed his cheek and let herself out.

**Okay, so there's the prologue for the story. Please let me know if I should keep going with this via a review. Even if it's only one word it would really, really make my day. **

**Thanks to all who have read this and review :D **


	2. Chapter 2

**Thanks to everyone who reviewed/favourite/followed my story. :D**

**So recently I fell in love with the album, A Twist in My Story by Secondhand Serenade. And I thought it would fit the plotline of this story. I wouldn't call this a songfic, but the songs will be used to highlight the theme (?) of each chapter. **

**And this chapter doesn't really have much happening in it, so I apologise in advance. I needed to put in some meetings and personalities etc. Next chapter things will start moving, I promise… Maybe haha. It'll come as it comes. **

**I've replied to all your wonderful reviews at the end of the chapter, because I know some people find it annoying to scroll through really long Author's Notes at the beginning. **

**Enjoy. :) **

_Chapter 2 – Fix You_

Sounds of a guitar's strings gently being plucked and the clink of glasses and the soft thud as they were placed back on tables; a dimly lit room filled with tables, a bar with stools and a small stage did not look like much, but this was the place where people always went to drown their sorrows, and for four young women, the place where they would find hope in their darkest of days.

_**Pokémon**_

"What can I get you today, miss?"

A pause.

The bluenette sighed. "Excuse me? Miss?" She reached out a tapped the red headed woman sitting at the counter, gazing intently at the stage where a musician was playing.

The young woman jumped, and turned to face her, "Oh, sorry. I'll just have a root beer, thanks."

The barmaid shot her a look. "You sure you don't want anything stronger, I mean, you look like you need it."

"I'm alright." the woman replied sharply.

Dawn let the issue go. She was still new to her job, but was quickly learning how to read the body language of the various personalities that stepped foot in the bar..

"All right then. One root beer coming up."

She turned and began to prepare the drink. The woman went back to watching the guitarist. She had just begun a new song.

"_When you try your best but you don't succeed  
When you get what you want but not what you need  
When you feel so tired but you can't sleep  
Stuck in reverse"_

"Here's your root beer." When the woman didn't respond she again tapped her again. The woman turned and accepted her drink. Dawn looked to see what had caught the red head's attention.

"Good, isn't she? Only just started coming here. Turned up one day and started playing." She paused, "By the way, the name's Dawn."

The red head looked at her. "Misty." She took a sip of her drink. "Who is she?"

"I've no idea. Won't talk to anyone. Comes, sings for a bit, collects her tips and leaves." Dawn leaned forward, "She's hurting pretty badly whatever made her start coming here."

"_And the tears come streaming down your face  
When you lose something you can't replace  
When you love someone but it goes to waste  
could it be worse?" _

"You got that right."

"Hold on, I have to serve this customer." Misty looked across the bar to see an auburn haired man who had just sat down. She watched as he began flirting with Dawn, and she smiled at the hurt look on his face when Dawn refused to meet him after her shift.

Misty returned her attention to the singer. When she looked at her, Misty smiled. The brunette singer smiled in return, however it was a different kind of smile, an 'I know something you don't,' kind of smile. Misty was confused; what could this woman possibly know about her? _  
_

"_Lights will guide you home  
and ignite your bones  
And I will try to fix you"  
_

Now Misty was definitely confused. This woman seemed to be offering her support, but what did Misty need support for? Why was she 'broken'? Why did she need to be 'fixed'? She shook her head. It was just the lyrics. The singer was probably just looking for tips by connecting with her audience. Yes, that was it.

"She speaks to your soul, doesn't she."

This startled Misty. She looked at Dawn, who had come back from serving customers.

So it wasn't just her. Dawn could feel it too.

"What does she know?"

"How should I know? I told you she was hurting. Maybe she's really telling us what she's going through, and we are just able to relate?"

Misty thought about that for a couple of seconds.

She thought about her boyfriend, Ash. How she had just left him. Well, 'left' wasn't really a good word to use. More like, ignored. She hadn't told anyone about it, especially not him, and she was just waiting, waiting for him to call her. She wasn't even really sure why.

_"High up above or down below  
when you're too in love to let it go  
but If you never try you'll never know  
Just what your worth"  
_

"He's just so dense."

"Huh?" Dawn broke her gaze with the musician and focused back on Misty.

"My boyfriend, Ash."

"Ash is dense," Dawn stated, "I don't understand."

'_Why are you telling her this,'_ Misty thought. _'She's a stranger, you don't know her. Shut up now before you end up embarrassing yourself.'_

"He doesn't know what I want. He isn't interested. He is just so… dense."

"I don't think I follow."

'_Of course she doesn't, you're a babbling idiot, shut up Misty!'_

"That's why I'm here. Ash thinks I am happy… with us, with everything. But I'm not. He doesn't understand that I want to do something with my life; I don't just want to be with him. It's like the only reason I am living is because it makes him happy."

Dawn peered at her carefully. She knew that Misty needed to say this, let her emotions out. And Dawn was more than happy to let her spill it all out to her. But she was curious as to why Misty was telling her, and not someone else, someone that may actually be able to help her.

Because Dawn also knew that her marriage was failing. She was the last person who should be giving love advice. But for some strange reason Misty was confiding in her.

_"Lights will guide you home  
and ignite your bones  
And I will try to fix you"  
_

Some people talk about how they have these sudden realisations, epiphanies, but Dawn had never really believed them. She always thought that these people were crazy; she never really thought that it was possible to suddenly have one thought that changed your whole outlook on life.

But now Dawn knew they were real.

If Dawn's marriage was failing, she was going to do everything possible to make sure that that didn't happen to this woman. Sure, she may not be married, but Dawn could tell that Misty cared, more than she would ever let on.

She wouldn't let Misty's trust in her go to waste.

That was just the kind of person Dawn was. Although she was filled with self-doubt, she was happy and optimistic, and always ready to give a helping hand.

_"Tears streaming down your face  
When you lose something you cannot replace  
Tears streaming down your face and I"_

Dawn moved round to the other side of the counter, and wrapped her arms around Misty, just as she saw her eyes well up with tears.

"It'll be okay."

_"Tears streaming down your face  
I promise you I will learn from my mistakes  
Tears stream down your face and I"  
_

"How? I can't change him."

_"Lights will guide you home  
And ignite your bones  
And I will try to fix you"_

"I'll help you. We'll work through this, okay?"

Dawn released Misty so that she could see her eyes clearly.

"I'll help you."

_**Pokémon**_

Snow was falling outside the bar. It covered the pavement and the road, the few cars that drove by had their headlights turned up - they had to be to pierce through the darkness.

May was curled up against a wall, snow falling on her small frame. Her hair was loose, sticking to her body.

Nobody would notice her there. She didn't want them to. Why would she? She was a small woman, pale, and covered in bruises. Her thin coat did little to retain any body heat she had, and she was shivering violently.

She was a homeless beggar.

May could hear the music drifting out from inside the bar. It was beautiful, and May wished that whoever was singing would be able to help her, to 'fix' her.

How she wanted to be fixed.

A blast of heat suddenly hit her, the immediate change causing her to sneeze.

"Who's there?"

May shrank back further into the shadows. She had already been told to move once, by a barmaid who had been carrying out a bag of rubbish.

She watched as the red headed woman turned around, trying to find the source of the sound.

The woman sighed. "It's warmer inside, you know." And she walked down the street, paying no further attention to the noise.

_**Pokémon**_

The bar was silent. Dawn was wiping down the tables, watching the singer as she packed up her guitar.

The bar was designed so that the bar was against one of the side walls, with tables and chairs spread across the middle area, benches along the other side. Out the front was a clear space, with a small stage, just big enough so that a four piece ensemble could play.

For a solo singer and guitarist, a single stool was placed in the centre of the stage, creating quite a dramatic effect.

Dawn finished her job and leaned up against one of the chairs.

"So who are you?"

Dawn saw the woman jump, and tuck some of her brown hair back behind her ear.

Without turning around she replied, "Leaf."

"Where do you come from?"

"Around."

Dawn sighed. This wasn't going to be easy.

"You're good, you know. Do you compose everything you play, or do you do covers as well?"

Leaf stood and began to walk off the stage.

"Compose," She paused, "it helps."

"Helps with what?"

Leaf was at the door now. She turned and faced Dawn, looking right at her eyes.

"Everything."

_**Pokémon**_

May awoke to the sound of a door being slammed. She had been watching people entering and leaving the bar all night, and at some point must have fallen asleep. Her sudden movement, however, had been noticed by the man leaving the bar.

"What are you doing there?"

May froze, and just stared at the man.

He looked around and back at her, "Do you have a place to go?"

May shook her head. She was cautious; she had learnt now not to trust men.

The man frowned, and extended his hand, "Here, come with me. You can stay with me."

She shook her head more violently now. She didn't like where this was going, and had no intention of going home with strange men. But he seemed to sense this, and a small smile graced his face.

"I'm not going to do anything. I just broke up with my girlfriend because she was cheating on me. I don't trust women anymore."

Maybe he wasn't so bad after all.

He stepped closer, and May allowed him to pull her up, and followed him to his house.

_**Pokémon**_

**There it is.**

**I am sorry for the length, and it didn't turn out how I wanted it to. :/ Oh well. I thought I should stop there, and the rest of the meetings will be spread out through the next few chapters, and they should be more interesting. **

**Okay, so time to reply to your reviews. Thank you so much. They mean a lot, and also to those people who have followed and favourited, thank you.**

_KittyKatLovesBooks – _I hope you enjoy this chapter and I'm so glad that you really liked the first, although it was only the Prologue. And I like how excited your smiley is haha.

_Rabiya123 – _Thanks, and I hope you enjoy this chapter as well.

_KayJune – _Yes, they were with Gary, Drew, Paul and Ash in the Prologue. It gives me an opportunity to give the backstories that I wanted, and so it wasn't like they were miraculously saved them, because that would be boring. Thanks for your support :)

_MudkipLover33 – _I'm glad you found it interesting. I tried to make it not cliché, but I know with something like this, it probably always will be. Oh well.

_RoseWing-chan – _I'm sorry you couldn't tell who was speaking. I did that on purpose, because I didn't want any interruptions in the speech, but I may have overdone it. My bad haha.

_Guest – _Here's the next chapter, I hope you enjoy it as much as the first one. Your order was right. I felt I made it really obvious haha. Thanks for your review.

_AquaStarlight – _Thank you for being my first reviewer! It means a lot to me. :) And so that was the next chapter, I hope you liked it.

**Thanks for reading :) And remember, reviews mean the world to me. :D **


	3. Chapter 3

**All you guys that have read this gave me inspiration to write. I tend to write the beginnings of stories and then never finish them haha. So thank you so much for doing what you're doing, even if it's just getting the visitor and view counts up. :)**

**Once again, I have replied to reviews at the bottom. **

**DISCLAIMER: I don't own Pokémon or 'Pretend' by Secondhand Serenade. **

_**Chapter 2 - Pretend**_

May woke up in a strange position. Her neck ached, probably from the 90 degree angle it was making with the rest of her body. Rolling over, she fell off the couch that had been her bed, head hitting the coffee table that was conveniently located a mere metre from where she had had a less than pleasant night's sleep.

"Damn it." May was on her knees, her head resting against her legs.

"Not a great sleep?" She looked up, and saw the auburn haired man that had taken her off the streets. She turned the frown on her face into a smile, out of gratitude to this man.

"It was fine. I can't complain."

He grinned, "I'll look at organising something more permanent for you today," he paused, then walked over and sat on the couch, "the name's Gary, by the way."

"May," she told him, "What do you mean, permanent?"

Gary patted the cushion beside him and May followed the hint, getting up and sitting beside him.

"You don't have another place to stay, do you? You can stay here until you find somewhere." Gary looked at her, "Unless, you already have a place to stay…" He trailed off.

May didn't know what to say. She was stunned. This was too good to be true, but then again, there was no way she could do it.

She shook her head, "I'm sorry, I can't. It would be too much. The bills, food…"

"You can help pay for it then. I can't let you live on the streets." Gary was genuine, May could see that. But there was still one issue.

"I have no job. How am I supposed to pay? I'd have to go through interviews and all that kind of thing before I even got one, and then it would be a while until the first pay check."

Gary was silent. He was just getting himself through. And if May living with him was going to be a long term thing, and he thought it would, he would need some extra money.

They sat in silence, both trying to think of a solution that would see May off the streets.

"What about the bar?" He asked her, "They're always hiring, and you could work for tips."

May paused, and slowly a smile made its way onto her face.

"Really?"

She was overwhelmed. Last week she had been thrown out of her home, living on the streets, and now, she would have a new home, and a job. She threw her arms around Gary.

"Thank you so much."

She didn't even try to stop the tears falling down her face.

_**Pokémon**_

Leaf was in her apartment. It was nicely furnished, overlooking the river. Quite pricy too. But Leaf's landlord had said she could get a discounted rent by volunteering at the orphanage a few blocks down.

But still, Leaf felt guilty staying in this apartment.

It was fancy, but no too fancy. It was the kind of apartment rich people who had earned a lot of money but did not want to spend it would live in. Leaf was neither.

She was the last person to deserve this apartment.

Even sitting at the kitchen table, away from the balcony, the view, the expensive looking sitting room, she felt horrible.

What she had done was unforgivable.

She blinked back tears from her eyes and stood up. Pulling a hair tie off her wrist she pulled her hair up into a ponytail, and picked up her guitar.

She left and made her way to the orphanage for the day's volunteering to begin.

_**Pokémon**_

Dawn was in the park. She always enjoyed going there, watching the children play, giggling and chatting about innocent things. How she wished she could go back to those days.

The sunny days at the beach where they had been in love.

Dawn had always prided herself on her ability to crack Paul. Everyone had told her it was a lost cause, that he never let his emotions showed. But she had known as soon as she saw him, that he would open up to her.

And he had, eventually.

They dated, for a while. Then he had proposed and the wedding had been magical. They had gotten married young, too young some people may say. But it hadn't mattered to her and Paul. They were going to love each forever, and what was the point in waiting?

"Heads!"

Dawn was interrupted from her musings in time to catch a ball that was flying at her face. She turned to find the culprit, a teenage boy, with black hair and vibrant blue eyes. She gave the ball back to him with a laugh and smile on her face, and a "No need to worry," coming from her lips.

The boy ran off, kicking the ball to one of his friends as he went. She smiled, and looked down at her hands. Her ring finger to be specific. She fiddled with the rings on it. Her engagement ring was beautiful; a diamond, with two, smaller sapphires on either side with a gold band. Although many had questioned the inclusion of the sapphires rather than a larger diamond, Dawn had loved it. Paul knew her favourite gems were sapphires. Others thought she would have fancier tastes.

_Brrrrrrrrr._

She jumped and reached into her bag to pull out her phone.

_Paul._

She frowned and threw the phone back in the bag. As if she would want to talk to him now. Maybe she would call him back later.

She stood up straight, off the tree that had been comfortably resting her back and began to walk to the bar. It was a good distraction, the bar, and it took her mind off of him, and all the other worries she had somehow managed to collect.

On the walk to the bar, Dawn thought primarily of the red haired woman she had met the previous evening. Dawn had been talking to her, and from what she had gathered, the girl loved a thrill. She enjoyed swimming, and had a strong sense of duty. After graduating from high school five years ago, she now worked at a supermarket, while her boyfriend of four years, Ash, was studying a Bachelor of Animal Science.

The poor girl had looked so lost.

Dawn had promised her help, but how?

_**Pokémon**_

Drew was wandering aimlessly around the streets of the inner city. He paused at the entrance of a brothel, wondering if it would be opened at three in the afternoon. He shook his head. It was a stupid idea anyway.

He continued on.

His stomach rumbled, and he absently patted his belly. He had been living off TV dinners and take out for the past week. Since he had thrown May out, in fact. He didn't really know why he had done it. He certainly knew he couldn't stand to be in the same room as her, but was kicking her out of his home the best options?

He couldn't live without her. Not in the lovey-dovey kind of way. He actually could not survive on the diet and lifestyle he had been leading. She had always cleaned the house, cooked his meals, made sure he got to his appointments on time.

God, what had he done?

Who was she, to have come in and done everything for him like that?

Who was he to let her?

He found himself outside of Trauer Bar. What an ironic name. From what he had seen, certainly many people went there to drown their sorrows. The once bright, neon sign had several lights blown, and there looked to be a hole in the roof.

He was an electrician; surely they would pay for him to do that work.

It would be a good distraction from May, and besides, he needed some money.

He pushed open the door, ignoring the 'Closed' sign on it.

Inside he saw a bluenette woman, wiping down some glasses, and placing them on the racks. He let the door swing shut behind him, the noise it made alerting her to his presence. Her eyes flicked towards him, and her face formed a slight frown.

"The bar isn't open yet."

He shrugged, "I know. Actually, I noticed that the sign outside needs fixing. I'm an electrician…" He shrugged, not feeling the need to continue.

The woman put her rag down, and leaned on the counter, "This is a small bar, only opened a few months ago. It's on the bad side of town and is just managing to make a profit."

Drew shrugged again, "What's your point?"

"If the boss wanted to fix the sign, he would have hired someone to do it. Probably someone cheaper than what you offer."

"Fine, no need to get snarky."

The woman started and shook her head, as if clearing away a fog. She moved towards Drew and held out her hand.

"I'm sorry. My name is Dawn. I've had a bad few weeks," She paused, "I'm just a little bit preoccupied."

Drew shook her hand. "I'm Drew. It's alright. As I was saying, I was looking for work, and I would appreciate it if you could please talk to your boss and let me know. But if he can't afford it, then don't worry about it."

Dawn nodded, "Of course. If I could get your number…?" She trailed off and he pulled out his wallet, in search of a business card. After a time, he finally found one, and he pulled it out with a flourish.

"Viola." He smiled as she laughed at his antics. "My business card. I look forward to hearing from you."

She smiled and took the card, "Thank you."

_**Pokémon**_

Ash was working. Well, not working. He was volunteering.

The orphanage near his apartment was always looking for people who would help look after the orphans. Particularly since the recent bombings had killed thousands of parents nationally.

These children were lucky. Snowpoint City was one of the few major cities that hadn't yet been bombed. The enemy had been gradually taking out all key buildings and cities in Sinnoh, in broad daylight, when people were working. The Sinnoh region had lost nearly all contact with outside regions, and the situation was at a crisis level.

As it was, Snowpoint City had been relatively unaffected, besides the influx of new orphans.

Ash was currently talking to a young girl, about six years old. She was telling him that she wished she could have a pet mouse. Not just any pet mouse though, this one would be special. It would protect her from the enemy. It would be able to shoot electric bolts out at them, and then they would all be scared of her and her electric mouse.

He smiled; kids and their imaginations.

As the girl was explaining just how she would obtain this electric mouse, Ash heard the door open, and saw a woman come in. Brown hair and forest green eyes were the first things that he saw.

"Leaf?"

He saw her turn her head to look at him, and she smiled.

"Hey, Ash."

"What brings you here?" he asked. Leaf had always disliked children. At least she had five years ago when he last saw her.

"My landlord told me he would give me a discounted rent if I helped out here."

Ah, that explained everything.

"Hi." That was the girl, smiling up at Leaf.

Ash saw her force a smile on her face, "Hey there, what's your name?"

"Tatiana."

"That's a long name," Leaf frowned, "what about Tati?"

That was like Leaf too, always giving things she disliked nicknames.

"I love it!" Tatiana shouted, catching Leaf off guard. She was even more surprised when Tati threw her arms around Leaf's legs, in a hug. She looked around, sending a pleading look in Ash's direction.

He nodded, and scooped Tati up in his arms, "Hold up there Tati. You don't want to scare her off if you want her to stay."

Tatiana looked up at him, puzzled, "Everyone likes hugs though. Why wouldn't she stay? Does she have to leave soon?"

"Nah, not for a while," He looked at Leaf, an unspoken question in his eyes. Looking back at Tatiana he said, "Why don't you go and get some lunch? Let me talk to Leaf."

"Leaf? That's a weird name. Can I call her Leafy?"

Leaf tensed, and Ash saw it, "Go get some lunch, Tati."

"Alright Ash." He put her down and the young girl wandered off.

He jerked a thumb at Leaf, gesturing for her to sit.

"Where?" she asked.

He looked around, and eventually settled for against one of the side walls.

He studied her carefully. She had bags under her eyes; not covered up by the makeup she was wearing. Leaf never used to wear makeup.

Her hair was tied up in a ponytail. She always wore it down.

Little things, but they made all of the difference to him. Ash had known Leaf since high school. She had been his best friend, besides his other best friend, Gary. After high school they had lost contact, but she was still like a sister to him, and though people thought he was dumb, he was very good at reading people, especially the ones he was close to.

"What's up, Leaf?"

_**Pokémon**_

Paul looked at his phone.

It was vibrating, and a familiar number was flashing on the screen.

Dawn.

He sighed, and answered.

"Hey."

"_What do you want, Paul?"_

"That's not much of a greeting."

"_It wasn't supposed to be. My shift starts in ten. What do you want?"_

Paul paused. Why had he called Dawn? Oh well, may as well tell the truth.

"I don't know."

He shuddered as her voice rose, _"You don't know? I don't know either Paul! Stop wasting my time. When you figure out how to stop being a jerk, then call me."_

The phone clicked, signalling she had hung up.

He sighed again. What did he do to stuff this up?

He loved her. Why was it so complicated?

What did she want from him?

He couldn't understand where he went wrong.

His entire family, there had never been a couple who had split.

And they had all worked the same way.

The husband worked and the wife stayed at home.

Where was the difference? Why was Dawn different?

"Damn."

_**Pokémon**_

Misty walked into the bar. She smiled when she saw Dawn working the bar, who in turn smiled at her. She looked to the stage and saw the mystery singer. She looked the same as she had the previous night. She saw the auburn haired man at the bar again, however he had another brunette woman with him.

The new girl was a pretty thing, with long brunette hair, and vibrant blue eyes. But she was thin, and Misty could see the faint bruises on her body.

Misty walked towards her, and sat down. Dawn came over, and Misty ordered her drink.

"Hi. I'm Misty." She said.

The brunette looked at her, "I'm May."

It was just a formality, nothing more. There was no invitation to continue the conversation. Misty laughed at herself. Of course that was all May had said. She imagined if a random stranger, in a bar where all kinds of people came in, had just started talking to her, and she had no idea who they were.

"I'm sorry. You must think I'm so strange. I didn't mean to make you feel weird." Misty laughed, and May joined her, albeit, a bit tentatively.

"I'm Gary." The man held out his hand, and Misty shook it. When he brought it up to his lips, she quickly took it back.

"I have a boyfriend."

Gary looked disappointed, and Misty couldn't help but laugh again.

However, that was short lived, when a sharp breeze brought her attention to the door.

Standing there was Ash.

He came inside, and sat at one of the tables. Seeing Misty, he smiled, and gestured to the seat next to him.

She hesitated, and looked at Dawn, who was gazing at Ash. She looked at Misty, and smiled. It wasn't much, and surely, Dawn couldn't possibly have guessed who Ash was.

But it was something. A small gesture of encouragement.

Excusing herself, Misty went and sat next to Ash, greeting him with a quick peck on his cheek.

_**Pokémon**_

_It seems all of these words couldn't be further from the truth  
How did I get here? What did I do?_

Ash was confused. His smile shrank by Misty's cool greeting. He looked at Leaf singing. She was in pain. He could tell. Looking back at where Misty had come from, he could see Gary. He was in deep conversation with a brunette girl.

It was sad he had moved on so quickly from Leaf.

"Misty…" He trailed off, unsure where to begin.

Eventually, he gathered his thoughts, but she beat him to it.

_Your eyes, telling me lies  
And making me find myself  
While you have your agenda, a life to pursue  
_

"Ash." Misty smiled, a small, sad smile. "I am so sorry. I can't do this anymore." She paused, slowing her gradually quickening breaths. "There's no easy way to say this,"

"Then don't," Ash cut her off and looked at her pleadingly. She couldn't be about to tell him she was going to break up with him. That would be the worst possible thing.

Seeing him like that, Misty couldn't help it. Tears sprang to her eyes.

"You don't understand, but I have to do this."

"Then let me in. Let me understand. Please Mist, I'll do anything."

Misty calmed herself once again. It was killing her to see him look so broken, like how she had imagined an orphan might feel, right when they found out they were never going to see their parents again.

_So please,  
Let me be free from you.  
And please, let me be free  
I can face the truth._

"Ash, I have to do this." She repeated it again, as if the more she said it, the more she could convince herself it was the truth.

Which it was. But that didn't mean she had to like it.

"The reason you don't understand, is because everything that is wrong, is what you have."

"Stop speaking in riddles Mist."

"Right." How was she so bad at this? She had thought it would be quick and snappy, how she liked it. But this was dragging on forever. Why?

_I'm blind to all of your colors  
That used to be rainbow then  
My eyes, where did they go to?  
Why disappear?_

"This isn't going to work, because I want something more with my life. I want to get out, to see the sun, to follow my dreams. You're doing that. You're doing a Bachelor degree, which is the first step. In five years, I've done nothing. I just need some time alone, to figure some stuff out, and to focus on me. I know that seems selfish but-"

"That's not selfish, Misty. That's being human. I understand now."

There was an awkward silence.

_It's hard to be all alone  
I never got through your disguise  
I guess I'll just go, and face all my fear  
_

They were both looking at Leaf. Ash took the lead.

"I guess I'll be going. Thanks Misty."

He stood up and went to leave.

"Ash!" Ash turned and looked back at her. He blew her a kiss, and smiled.

And then he left.

_So please,  
Let me be free from you  
And please, let me be free  
I can face the truth._

Misty was sobbing. She put her face in her hands and couldn't stop shaking. She had just let the best thing that had ever happened to her walk out the door. Was it too soon for her to call him?

She felt slender arms wrap around her, and she returned Dawn's embrace.

_Put down your world  
Just for one night  
Pick me again_

"Why did you let me do it, Dawn?"

Dawn stayed silent. She had to let Misty get to the reason by herself.

"I could have said nothing. I could have just continued how we were. He was happy. That's all I ever wanted."

Dawn admired Misty's ability to not stutter as she was crying.

"One night, one more night. Why couldn't we keep having one more night? I already miss him so much."

"Misty. You know why you couldn't." Dawn paused, wondering how she should continue. Luckily, Misty said it for her.

"He understands. He understands that it was killing me seeing him so happy. Why does that make me sound like such a terrible person?" She began sobbing again.

"You're not terrible Misty."

"That's what he said."

"So you should believe it. The sooner you do that, the sooner everything will become clear, and the sooner he and you will be able to work everything else out."

_So please,  
Let me be free from you  
And please, let me be free  
I can face the truth_

_**Pokémon**_

"Ashy-boy!"

Ash turned, and paused as he saw Gary running up to him. The two embraced, in a good bro hug, clapping each other's backs.

"It's been a while, Gary."

"Too long Ashy."

The two began a slow walk down the street.

"So what's been happening with you?" Ash already knew, but he wanted to hear it from Gary.

Gary sighed, "Too much. I thought I had good thing Ash, but the girl of dreams has once again escaped me."

"You always say that."

Gary laughed a hollow, shallow laugh.

"I do, but this time I thought it was real. I didn't stuff it up this time. It was the other way around. You probably don't believe me, though, do you?"

The light hearted banter was just a cover up. Ash could see it.

"I believe you Gary," Ash began, "I ran into Leaf today. She was volunteering at the orphanage."

Gary stopped walking, "What did she say?"

"That she missed you. That she hates herself. She can't live with herself. Gary!"

Ash lunged out to stop Gary punching a nearby tree.

"Serves her right. She should never have done it, that, that slut!"

"Gary!" Ash yelled, "Calm down."

He gripped the bigger man by his shoulders.

"Gary. It's in the past. I just thought you should know. She wants you back."

"She doesn't deserve a second chance…" He trailed off.

"I never said she did."

They stood there, neither moving, nor saying another word.

"Okay, let's keep going."

They walked in silence for a few moments.

"How do you know Misty?"

Gary started, "Dude, I swear, I didn't lay a finger on her. She told me she had a boyfriend."

Ash snorted.

"What was that for? Why would I tell you a lie like that? After all I've been through?"

"I wasn't snorting at you. You should know by now. I trust you with anything, even though it's been years."

"Then what were you snorting at?"

This time it was Ash that stopped. He looked up at the sky, where once again snow was falling.

"I was her boyfriend."

"Was?"

"She just broke up with me."

"Oh, man, I'm so sorry."

_**Pokémon**_

**Hmm, so I don't know if I'm entirely happy with that. There are some bits I desperately need to apologize for. Firstly, for Paul's scene. Oh God, I didn't even know what to write there. I needed something, and apparently 'something' is that 100 words of nonsense. And then the last scene, because I think that was really rushed. Actually, I think that whole chapter was rushed. Maybe I won't try to cram so much into the next one. **

**Oh well, what can you do?**

_**Replies to Reviews**_

_Poliwhirl42 – _First of all, can I say, Poliwhirl is an awesome as Pokémon. So underrated. I hope you like how some more people met up :) And I agree, I thought it was cute, I'm glad you like it.

_ShiningSilentStar – _Thanks so much. I'm glad you felt that even when you were only reading the summary. That was so hard to write haha. I don't know why people say summaries are easy. I tried to make it so Dawn and Misty could be best friends from the start, because Dawn's like that, and Misty has such self-confidence issues that I wanted to explore.

_Cherrylovesshipping – _Yes, it was Gary, but you probably figured that out already. Leaf sang 'Fix You'. It's a Coldplay song, but Secondhand Serenade did a cover of it on their album, which is why I included it. I'm glad you liked that conversation. I wasn't so sure of it when I wrote it, but seeing you guys have all liked that scene really makes the difference.

_Rabiya123 – _Here's your update :) I tried to update super-fast for you guys. I didn't think people reviewing really made a difference but it does. And I'm glad you find this story interesting and suspenseful. Hope you enjoyed this chapter.

_KittyKatLovesBooks – _Hahaha. Your review made me laugh. Here is your chapter, stop killing pillows! They have feelings too. I'm glad you enjoyed the last chapter. And I just realised you wrote the One Way stories. I love them so much! I've only read your OldRival one so far because they are my OTP, but I can't wait to read the other ones.

_ShadowAbsol13 – _I'm sorry for the lack of Ikari :( I never realised how hard it is to write. Definitely harder than all the other ones. I will try my best for the future chapters. :)

**Thanks for all your reviews. They mean the world to me. And to all the people who have favourited or alerted this story. It makes my day. So 3 you all. **


	4. Chapter 4

**Hey guys! I'm sorry it's been so long. But here is the next chapter. I have more words at the bottom. **

**Disclaimer: I don't own Pokémon or the song 'Like a Knife' by Secondhand Serenade. **

_**Chapter 3 – Like a Knife**_

May was waiting for a phone call. A few evenings ago she had talked to Dawn about getting a job at the bar, and she had said she would mention it to her boss.

"A watched pot never boils."

"Shut up Gary."

May stood from her chair and stretched. She picked up her breakfast dishes and began washing them in the sink. Gary gave her his, and she washed these too.

The pair had reached an unspoken agreement. May would stay at the house and clean each day, while Gary went to work. She was very conservative about her water and electricity use, and so would most often go out in the afternoons so as not to waste power at home.

It was system that worked, for now.

Gary was yet to receive his bills for the month, and so they didn't know what kind of financial situation they would be placed in.

"Maybe I should go and see Dawn. It's been days, and she hasn't gotten back to me yet. What if I-"

"May. Everything is going to be okay." She looked up at Gary. His voice had sounded so decisive, like he had control over everything.

"If this doesn't work out, we'll find something else that does. You're not going to end up on the streets again. Stop worrying."

She took a few deep breaths, calming herself with each one.

"Right, thank you, Gary."

"Catch ya later, May."

He left, and May wandered around the apartment, fixing up things as she went. She made a pact with herself that when Gary came home that afternoon she would have a solution.

_**Pokémon**_

"_It is with great joy, that I announce the ceasefire between us and our enemies. After weeks of constant fightings and bombings, our two regions have decided to work together, instead of be at war with each other."_

Paul was staring at the screen, breathing in sighs of relief. It had been a tough few weeks for the people of Sinnoh.

"_This decision comes with the knowledge of why our fellow region began attacking. In deep poverty, their corrupt government gave order for their people to invade, to gain our land so that they may have more resources, through which to rid their people of poverty._

"_The clean up for the Sinnoh region now begins. The Sinnoh Rescue Service is calling for volunteers, and donations to be made, so that this once peaceful region, can return to its former glory before too long. This is Hugo Brant."_

The news broadcast concluded with a list of affected regions, phone numbers, and ways people could help. Paul turned the television off. It was not him to donate time and effort into other people.

He looked at his phone, sitting on the table.

He wanted Dawn back.

Maybe he should call her… see if she had changed her mind.

He picked it up, and scrolled to her number, pressing the dial button. Bringing the phone up to his ear, he waited for her to pick up.

"_Hi, this is Dawn. I am unable to reach my phone right now, but no need to worry, leave a message and I'll get back to you ASAP."_

He cursed and hung up.

Of course she hadn't changed her mind.

"_When you figure out how to stop being a jerk, then call me."_

Dawn never gave up on anything. So why would she give up on him?

But what he done wrong? He still couldn't understand.

Damn it, he had to see her.

He picked up his phone again, and sent her a text.

**Coming to see you tonight at the bar. I'll be there at 11. x**

Clicking send, he smiled to himself. She would notice the little x at the end. He was never one to send kisses to people, surely that might make her see he was trying to fix this.

_**Pokémon**_

Dawn heard the buzz of her phone vibrating by her head. She sat up groggily, and rubbed her eyes. Looking at her clock, she moaned when she saw it was 2pm. That was the one thing she hated about working at the bar. The ridiculous hours were messing with her body clock.

She let her head rest on the pillow again and reached out to her phone.

**Paul**

She groaned; why wouldn't he just leave her alone?

Blinking slowly, she clicked open, and read it through.

Dropping the phone back on the bedside table, she got up out of bed and opened the curtains.

It was beautiful; the sun was out, and there were little puffs of white cloud floating through the sky.

How could she be a part of something so ugly when everything else was going along as it was?

Walking back to the bed, she picked her phone again, and sent a quick reply,

**11 is too busy. Come earlier if you have to come at all. **

She didn't return his kiss.

It had struck her as strange when she saw it. That little x. It meant a lot, coming from him.

But maybe he was just trying to earn favour, to get her to forgive him.

It wasn't going to work.

He needed to learn the hard way.

Dawn didn't need a man to help her with anything.

She could do it herself.

_**Pokémon**_

Leaf was the orphanage… again.

She had been coming here day after day, surviving on next to know sleep. One of these days, she was going to snap at these children who just would not leave her alone.

Particularly one, who had appeared to have taken a shine to Leaf.

"Leaf!"

Speaking of which, there she was. Tatiana came running towards her. She looked so small, and Leaf had no choice but to pick her up and hug her.

Her heart was never in it though.

She breathed a sigh of relief when she saw Ash come through the door. She put Tati down and beckoned to Ash. She saw him grin as he came over, pulling Tati into a bear hug.

"What's up, Tati?"

"Hey Ash!"

"Why don't you go grab a toy and come back over and we'll play for a bit."

"Okay." The little girl toddled off and Leaf looked at Ash.

"Thank God you came in. She wants to play with me every day. I can't handle it Ash."

He laughed, then turned serious, "I don't get why you are volunteering here for cheaper rates. Wouldn't it be easier if you just got a job?"

Leaf sat down against the wall. Ash followed suit.

"I don't know. I feel terrible. You know that."

"Yeah, so? Why take it out on the children?"

She looked at him, hurt clear in her face.

"Sorry, that was mean," he added, looking apologetic, "go on."

"Well, I feel bad. I feel like I owe it to… to him. I ruined what I had, and now it's like this is the only way I can think of at the moment to possibly earn his forgiveness."

"Yeah, I guess."

"You should call him. Let him know yourself that you honestly want his forgiveness. I can see it, but he probably hasn't heard anything from you yet."

"He goes to the bar. Every song I sing is about him."

Ash looked over and saw Tati playing with some of the other children. It looked like he wouldn't have to play with her after all.

"Hey, I was wondering…" He trailed off, unsure whether to ask his question.

"Go on, Ash. It can't get any worse than it already is."

"Right. Well, you know how Misty… how Mist…" again, he trailed off.

"How Misty broke up with you. Yeah, I know."

"Well, she was saying she wanted to do something with her life. I don't get it. Do you want to help me out?"

Leaf smiled at her hands.

"You're smart, Ash. You just gotta have more faith in yourself. You're not going to get her back without figuring it out yourself."

"Well, let's say I have figured something out, but I just wanted to… to clarify with you."

She looked at him and laughed, "I guess that would be all right then."

"Okay. So, I was thinking. Mist said she wanted to do something with her life. I know she likes swimming, and I know she likes other sports as well. But I also know that that is more of a hobby for her. I want to do something for her, to show her how much I care about her, and I understand what she wants. Because I want us to be together. I don't want to be the kind of couple that can't get through the bad stuff."

"So? What's that got to do with me?"

"Can you write a song with me? For her? I don't know what exactly she wants to do, but I want her to know I'd do anything for her, to help her. She knows I am music illiterate, so if I just can help you write something, then she will know that, and maybe she will get back together with me."

Leaf gazed at him curiously; he had grown so much since high school. He had always been the most innocent of the three, and to know he had grown so much… well, Misty was a lucky girl.

There was only one answer she could give him, and if it helped her get her mind off Gary as well…

"Sure. Do you want to come to my apartment tomorrow? Bring some ideas. I'm done here for today, and I've got some jobs to do before I go to the bar tonight."

His face broke into a smile, "Thanks, Leaf."

And she felt so happy, a happiness that she had not felt in a long while.

Giving people hope like that, Leaf wished she could relive that moment over again.

_**Pokémon **_

May was sitting alone in the apartment. It was exactly 3 o'clock. She could hear the clock slowly ticking its steady beat, and had by far lost count of how long she had sat there.

The windows were open so that the light could shine through, and the only other noise was the sound of people talking drifting up from the park.

Her musings were broken by the sound of the phone ringing. She leapt up, wincing as her chair crashed to the ground.

She picked up the phone, and hid her enthusiasm when she said, "Hello, this is May."

"_May? Oh, I'm sorry. I'm looking for Gary Oak. Does he live there?"_

May sighed and leant against the kitchen counter.

"Gary? He lives here. I'm sorry, I'm his new roommate."

"_Roommate?" _The woman's voice sounded disappointed, and May heard her sniff through the phone.

"Sorry, he will be back later. Would you like me to take a message for you?"

She could hear the pain coming from the woman through the phone.

"Just, tell him Leaf called. He'll know how to contact me."

"Leaf? Okay, no worries."

The phone clicked, and May picked up her chair, and sat back down at the table. She cupped her face in her hands and began to sob.

She felt herself falling into despair.

The despair she hadn't felt in so long.

And thinking of this despair brought back memories of… him.

Drew.

It was the whole reason she had moved in with him.

May's life had always been rather sheltered. She had loving parents, and a younger brother whom she loved deeply.

She was so sheltered that she had hated it.

Loathed it.

May longed to be free. She had moved out as she soon as she raised enough money, but that had left her with one problem.

She had no idea what it took to live by herself.

Drew had been understanding at first, and had helped her through everything, teaching her, so much so that she had begun to develop feelings for him.

"May, what's wrong?"

She jumped, quickly rubbing her hand across her red rimmed eyes, smearing tears across her face.

"Relax, it's just me."

Gary sat down next to her, and reached out his arm, rubbing her shoulder in a comforting way.

"Dawn hasn't called yet, has she?"

"No," May whispered.

"But that's all right, isn't it?"

May shook her head violently.

"I can't do this, Gary. He helped me so much, and now he's gone!"

Gary's voice softened, it was very quiet, a side May had never heard before.

"Who's gone, May?"

"Drew. I was living with him. He was so sweet at first. But then, I don't know. When all those bombings began, he just changed. He was angry at me all the time, and eventually, he threw me out."

"He would have a reason."

"But what?" She looked up at Gary, pleading with her eyes, for him to tell her something, anything, that would make it all alright.

"I'm not sure. But I told you before, we're going to get through this. I don't doubt that."

"But Dawn hasn't called yet…"

"So? There are other places you can find a job."

"Like where?"

"Why don't you see if you can strike up a deal with the orphanage? They may not pay you, but there are in need of volunteers. I'll talk to my landlord. It'll be okay."

He reached out and hugged her, and she sobbed for a while into his shoulder.

"Why don't you go have a shower? Then we'll go out to the bar, and talk to Dawn again. I heard today that there's a cease fire between our two regions now. There will be so many people celebrating, I'm sure she will want some help. I've only ever seen three different people working there. She can't do it all herself."

May nodded, and stood up. She reached the bathroom door before remembering.

"Oh, Gary. Leaf called."

_**Pokémon**_

"Dawn?"

"Oh, hey May, and… who is this?"

"This is my roommate, Gary."

"What's up?"

May looked at Gary, and he gestured for her to go on.

"Well, I was hear a few days ago, and you said you would call me about a job here?"

Dawn's face went blank, and then realisation dawned on it.

"Oh my gosh. I'm so sorry. I did mean to call you, I honestly did. I'm s-"

"It's alright." Gary cut her off, and she looked at him.

"Yes?"

"Sorry, you were overreacting."

"And you don't?"

Gary paused, "No."

May glanced at him suspiciously. He hadn't said anything about Leaf, nor had he called her back.

She could tell he was thinking about her.

"Anyway, can I work here?"

Dawn's attention turned back to her. "Umm, well, I don't know how much we can really afford to spend on new employees, that's all."

"You'll be busy tonight. The war is over, after all."

"You'll need some help," Gary added.

Dawn glared at him, "I don't need any help."

He just shrugged at her.

"Fine. You can come. Be here at seven, ready to open."

"Thank you."

They both left, leaving the now angry girl behind them.

"I don't think she's happy." Gary commented as they walked down the street.

"Ya think? You must have struck a nerve."

"Not my fault. It's her problem."

_**Pokémon**_

The bar was busy. Gary's prediction had been correct. Everyone was out celebrating, and Leaf was reaping the rewards as the happy people gradually became more drunk, and more generous with their money.

Taking a break, she placed her guitar back in its case, her hand resting on the case, remembering the day she first got her guitar.

"_Gary, where are you taking me?" her laughter filled the crisp autumn air, and a slight wind made her hair light and floaty. She tucked a piece of it behind her ear, knowing that in just thirty seconds it would make its way back across her face._

"_Come on, you're so slow. Hurry up!" _

"_I'm coming, I can't go any faster!" _

_He turned around and smirked at her._

"_I bet I can make you." He started towards her, and she squeaked._

"_No Gary, don-!" She was cut off as he jammed his fingers into ribs. She shook him off and began running again, not even noticing when he slowed down into a walk. _

_She stopped when she reached the park, and noticed that Gary had disappeared._

"_Gary?"_

_The park was deserted. A playground, rusted and no longer fit for use stood in its centre. Trees encircled it, their leaves decorating the ground, forming small piles everywhere. Turning around, her eyes caught the sight of a tree stump, to the right side of the park._

_On it was an open guitar case. _

_She rushed forward again until she was right by the case. Her smile soon fell from her face as she noticed that there was no guitar._

"_I couldn't leave the guitar here; I thought someone might see it and take it."_

_She turned, and the smile returned, even bigger than before._

_He passed the guitar to her and removed the case from the stump. She sat and strummed a few chords, then placed the guitar in its case. Gary looked on, a confused look on his face._

_She stood up and took the two steps necessary to meet him, and wrapped her arms around him. _

"_Thank you so much."_

"_You don't have to thank me, you're my girlfriend. I wanted to give this to you."_

"_But it's so expensive."_

"_That doesn't matter," Gary raised his hands and cupped her chin, forcing her to raise her head, "Only one thing matters, and that is, that I love you, Leaf."_

Leaf shook her head, trying to stop the tears that were escaping from her eyes. She took a few deep breaths, calming herself.

She went over to the bar and asked Dawn for some water. Once Dawn came back and she took a few sips, she let her eyes wander around, looking for the one person she wanted to see.

There he was.

Sitting on the other side of the bar from her. He was talking to a brunette girl serving him.

She watched as he gestured towards the stage, and then his eyes turned and found hers. She looked at him, unblinking, and he did the same. She could see he recognised her.

Why didn't he say anything? Do anything?

Then the brunette asked him something, and he looked away.

Leaf swallowed the last of her water, and went back to the stage.

Before she began she took a few deep breaths and looked around the bar again.

She started playing, just as a purple haired man entered.

_**Pokémon**_

Dawn saw the man enter as well. She told May she was going to get some fresh and grabbed him, dragging him out the door.

She slammed it and spun around.

"What do you want, Paul?"

_I dream a lot, I know you say  
I've got to get away.  
"The world is not yours for the taking"  
Is all you ever say._

"Why are you giving up on me?"

"What?" Dawn looked up at him. That was the last thing she had expected him to say.

"Why are you giving up on me?"

Dawn paused, carefully choosing her words. The last thing she wanted was an angry Paul to deal with.

"How could I give up on you? Why would I give up on you?"

He honestly thought she had given up on him? He thought that this was what it was about?

"I haven't done any of that, Paul. I married you because I love you."

"You still do? You're not going to go and get divorce papers, and just end it?"

"Of course I do. Otherwise, I would have gotten the papers."

"Then why won't you come back?"

"Because…" Dawn looked up at the sky and back at Paul. "I know we can get through this."

_I know I'm not the best for you,  
But promise that you'll stay.  
Cause if I watch you go,  
You'll see me wasting, you'll see me wasting away  
_

"Then can't you just come back? I… I need you Dawn."

She watched him as he started fiddling with this pockets, the way he always did when he was nervous.

"Tell me why I should. I am not going to come back just because you demand I do. I'm important too, Paul. You need to learn that. I can do things by myself." She hesitated, before saying her last words,

"I can live without you, Paul."

_Cause today, you walked out of my life  
Cause today, your words felt like a knife  
I'm not living this life._

Dawn looked to the door, hearing Leaf's slightly muffle voice through the door.

"Look, Paul. I have to go back to work."

She turned to go back through the door, flinching when she felt Paul grab her arm. She turned back, waiting for him to speak.

"Dawn." There was a slight frown on his face. "Dawn, that hurt."

And in those two words, something in Dawn broke. She could see the pain etched into the lines on his face, and it took all she could to remove his arm and go back into the bar.

It wasn't her fault. It wasn't.

_Goodbyes are meant for lonely people standing in the rain  
And no matter where I go it's always pouring all the same.  
These streets are filled with memories  
Both perfect and in pain  
And all I wanna do is love you  
But I'm the only one to blame._

As Dawn stepped back into the warmth, she could feel Leaf's eyes on her as she walked across the room. She looked at her, and Leaf gave her a small smile.

Hadn't she just given Misty the same advice that she was trying to convince herself of?

It's not your fault. You need to do what you want to do.

The marriage wasn't working at the moment.

But she couldn't give up.

She was broken.

He was broken.

Their marriage was broken.

But if something was broken, it could be fixed.

And Leaf was the key to that.

Somehow, she had to connect to this girl.

_Cause today, you walked out of my life  
Cause today, your words felt like a knife  
I'm not living this life._

Paul re-entered the bar.

He looked over at Dawn, and went to the opposite side of the bar, sitting next to an auburn haired man.

He ordered some shots, planning to down them all so that he could forget that conversation.

"Here you go," the brunette barmaid handed them to him.

"That's a lot of alcohol. Want some help?"

Paul looked over at the man, "Get your own."

"Can't, already ordered my fair share."

_But what do I know, if you're leaving  
All you did was stop the bleeding.  
But these scars will stay forever,  
These scars will stay forever  
And these words they have no meaning  
If we cannot find the feeling  
That we held on to together  
Try your hardest to remember_

Paul drank the first one.

"What's your problem?"

Gary gestured to the girl on stage.

"See her, she was my girlfriend. Cheated on me a week back."

Paul looked at him. The man was broken, like he was.

"You see that bluenette?"

Gary nodded, "What about her?"

"She's my wife."

Gary whistled.

Paul glared at him. "Back off. She's mine. We're just… going through a rough patch."

"Sorry, that sucks man."

_Stay with me,  
Or watch me bleed,  
I need you just to breathe._

"Where did we go wrong?"

"No idea. Women are confusing."

"But I need mine so much."

Gary looked at him, "I kind of miss mine as well."

"Then why don't you go back to her?"

"Didn't you hear? She cheated on me?"

_Cause today, you walked out of my life  
(Stay with me, or watch me bleed)  
Cause today, your words felt like a knife  
(I need you just to breathe.)  
I'm not living this life_

"She looks like she's hurting."

"Well, she should."

Paul looked at him.

"If a person loves another person, then they should do everything they can to make it work."

"I kn-"

"I'm not a lot of things. But I know how to treat a woman. At least, I thought I did. But it's only been a few days, and I've already learnt, that you can't let something that special go."

"I treat my women right." Gary growled. "I didn't, be now I do. I changed for her. She let me down."

Gary got up and turned to go, "By the way, the name's Gary."

"Paul."

_**Pokémon**_

**Done. Some of the scenes I had to include, but they didn't turn how I wanted them to, so I'm sorry if they were stupid. But I felt like I owed to all you guys to update. I wrote this completely, and then hated it, so I rewrote it. My bad. I'm sorry.**

**And I just realised after rereading the reviews I completely forgot to add Drew into the chapter. I will make it work, expect him to reappear next chapter. I tried to give a bit of background to each of the girl's situations because some people were a bit confused. **

_**Replies to reviews – **_

_ShadowAbsol13 – _Try it. I'm so self-conscious, and it took so much to put this up. Even if they don't turn out how you want them to, people will give some constructive feedback so you can keep getting better.

_Gyarados' rage – _I hope this chapter doesn't let you down too much. Thanks for the review.

_Poliwhirl42 – _Thanks for your support. I'd really appreciate it if you left a review on this chapter, because I know you'll be nice to me even though it's not very good haha. But yeah, thanks for keeping giving me feedback, I really appreciate it.

_MudkipLover33 – _I know, I have plans for them. Thanks for your review.

_Chidori Minami – _Thank you so much. I'm glad to hear you like it.

_LeafxGreenx3 – _Oh my gosh. Thank you so much for your review. It really means a lot to me. I've seen you around everywhere. Wow. So many plot bunnies haha. I guess you'll just have to wait and see ;) I added some more Paul in this chapter because I figured the only way I'll get better is if I keep trying. So please help me haha. I love Gary so much. I couldn't bear to have him with anyone other than Leaf. And I tried to think of different friendships to use, so yay for May and Gary. Thank you so much again. It means so much, honest.

_KittyKatLovesBooks – _Aww your reviews are always so sweet. I'm sorry this took so long coming. And I am ashamed by it . Please forgive me. I'm sure there are so many other stories far much better than this one. But thank you for your compliments. It's people like you that make me so happy I decided to post this story.

_Cherryloveshipping – _I'm sorry I confused you. I hope this chapter clears it up a little bit for you. It probably doesn't… But I promise I will make sure you understand everything. That is my goal

_Pokemaster101 – _They are quite sexist aren't they? I didn't think of that when I was writing them. I am trying to make this story as non cliché as possible. I know I will probably fail at that at some point, but I can try

_Ka-tay's mind – _I hope this clears up Gary and Leaf a little bit. Thanks for your review

_Rabiya123 – _Here's your update. I'm sorry it wasn't very fast. I'm glad you liked the last chapter.

_PuRpLeOcEAnRoSE0208 – _You're username is very hard to type haha. OTP means One True Pairing, at least, that's what I always use it as. The song bit is the hardest part of the chapter. It's kind of like the climax. I'm glad you like my use of them.

_Zhiarlah – _Here's the next chapter. Thanks for your review.

**Thank you to everyone who viewed this and favourited or alerted. School is out in the next week, so I will hopefully have more consistent updates.**

**Thank you everyone **


	5. Chapter 5

**I don't own Pokémon or the song Suppose by Secondhand Serenade.**

_**Chapter 4 – Suppose**_

"How's it going there, Drew?"

He looked down from the ladder, and wiped a hand across his brow. Even in Snowpoint it was possible to work up a sweat.

"Alright. Could I get some water?"

"Sure. You could probably take a break now if you wanted. It's nearly four, and you've been up there for nearly three hours."

Drew climbed down the ladder, sighing to himself. The lights were proving more of a problem than he thought they would be.

"You know, those lights are pretty busted up."

Dawn laughed and handed him some water. She then replied, "They haven't been maintained since the bar opened. That was years ago. Then when they first broke my boss was too preoccupied to fix them."

"Preoccupied with what?" Drew asked, taking a sip of his water.

"You know, what every other man wants."

Drew nodded his understanding.

"So how long do you think until you're done?" She asked.

"I've nearly finished rewiring and fixing all the circuits. I'll try and get that done this afternoon. I was just up checking all the lights. I've got the type of globe you need, and I'll pick some up in the morning, and replace all the lights tomorrow afternoon."

"I have no idea what you just said," Dawn replied, smiling. "But thank you for your help. I'll still have to talk to my boss about payment. He agreed, but I don't really know if he'll remember."

"He doesn't sound very reliable."

Dawn shook her head. "He's not, but he's what I've got. He pays me, which is enough. Actually, he pretty well lets me do whatever I want. I basically run the place now, even though I've only worked here a few weeks."

"What's he do? It can't be that hard if he's leaving everything up to you."

"I'm not quite sure actually. He pays us barmaids, pays the bills," she paused, "Actually, he doesn't do that much either."

"You should just buy it."

"What?" Dawn stared at him.

"Well, you seem to know what you're doing. You'd be better than him."

"He's not looking to sell."

"You didn't deny it. If he was going to, would you buy it?"

"That's not up to me." Dawn leaned against the door, watching Drew.

She could trust him. She hadn't trusted anyone else with her problems, and it was really getting her down. She had already gotten mad at May and her roommate unnecessarily. When she worked, May hadn't even been that bad.

But he didn't need to be brought down with her problems.

"Why not?"

Well, he asked.

"My husband and I are going through a bit of a rough patch. He's a bit, well, controlling."

Drew frowned. That reminded him of someone.

"He shouldn't be able to do that."

"Well, exactly. Hence the rough patch."

"I'm sure he'll come around eventually."

"I hope so. I think we made some progress the other night." Dawn smiled, and Drew noticed.

"If he can make you smile, he's worth keeping."

"You know, I wonder why you are single. You're quite sweet."

Dawn went back inside and Drew continued to drink. He thought about May, and how he just abandoned her. He felt terrible about it. He hadn't been able to stop thinking about her. Even working hadn't helped much.

And then the man Dawn had described…

It was him.

She had sounded so upset, but then had seemed so happy.

He didn't want to do that to someone.

Especially someone who had treated him so well.

She hadn't done anything wrong.

It was him, and only he could fix it.

_**Pokémon**_

"So what have you got Ash?"

They were sitting at the table in Leaf's kitchen. Leaf was holding her guitar, and a pencil and manuscript, as well as blank pieces of paper were scattered around the table.

"I don't know."

"I thought you said you had some ideas."

"I did," Ash began slowly, "But I have no idea how to write a song. That's why I asked you."

That made sense to Leaf. She nodded.

"Okay. Well, first. You have three choices. You could get a melodic line going, or a chord pattern, or you could write the lyrics and get the rhythm going." She began to speak faster and faster, and Ash could only stare at her until she noticed him again.

She blushed, "Sorry, I get a little excited when I'm composing."

He grinned and replied, "That's alright. How about I just show you what I have, and we'll work from there?"

"Right." She nodded, and picked up a pencil, ready to take notes.

"Okay, so. I want to write about us. About the things that went wrong, and the things that went right. I want her to know I will never abandon her. I want her back, so bad. I won't rest until she comes back. I think it was partially my fault she left. I should have noticed something, I was her boyfriend. But I was too worried about me. I just assumed she would be happy with me."

He stopped and looked at Leaf. She was chewing on the end of her pencil, tapping her fingers on her other hand against the table.

"Leaf?"

She jumped, and shook her head.

"Sorry. Got lost in my own little world there." She paused and then began again, "I think you have a good theme there. We could make some lyrics off of that. But that's a lot to fit in to one song."

"So if we found the main element then, and made that into the chorus. Then take the littler things, and make them fit into the verses."

"Yeah, that's what I was thinking. Let's work on that first. What's the main idea you want to tell her?"

"I want to tell her that I should have been a better boyfriend. I'd give anything to have that back."

"Right. Let's do this then."

Leaf pulled a sheet of paper in front of her, and placed one in front of Ash as well.

"We'll brainstorm first. If you get the main things down, I'll make them form a nice rhythm."

Ash picked up his pencil, and then grasped Leaf's hand with his other.

"This is gonna work out, for both of us. You watch."

_**Pokémon**_

May woke up late. Very late. It was three o'clock. She jumped up and took a quick shower. She had told Dawn she would be at the bar at four to help set up for the evening's work.

She cursed to herself; not being able to adjust her body habits easily was not good when she had a new job with varying working hours.

Tying her hair up in a braid, she left right as Gary was coming through the door.

"It took you this long to wake up?"

"I'm sorry," she whined, "I got home late."

Gary laughed. "Don't worry about it. You'll get used to it." He locked the door as she left.

"Aren't you going to go and get some rest?"

"Nah, fresh air is good for you. I could do with some more."

May frowned, "And?" There had to be a catch.

There was always a catch.

"And I wanted to talk to you some more."

Of course.

She began down the steps.

"What about?"

"Not what. Who."

"Drew?"

Gary nodded.

"You already know about Drew. I'm not going to tell you more about my personal life until you tell me about yours."

Gary shrugged. "Sure, what do you want to know?"

"Leaf. Who is she?"

May saw as Gary tensed and frowned.

"You said I could ask about anything."

"Yeah, I did." Gary sighed.

"So?"

"She's my ex. My last ex. I've had lots of them in the past, but she was different."

"How was she different?"

"I changed for her. I used to have loads of one night stands. I treated girls like dirt."

May glanced at him. His face didn't give anything away to his feelings. She would have to probe deeper if she wanted to know anything.

"But you didn't for her. You got into a committed relationship. The fact you don't like her suggests that she did something to you. She may have dumped you, but that doesn't explain why you hate her so much."

"Not just an airhead, are you?"

May grinned, "I try." Then she frowned.

Drew used to call her an airhead, when she first moved in with him.

She had been his airhead, and he had been her cabbage head.

"Drew used to call you that, didn't he?"

May glared at him. She didn't want to talk about Drew. It was too painful.

"You understand way too much already, and I've barely told you anything. Tell me about Leaf."

They were outside now, walking along the sidewalk of the main road.

Gary sighed, and began his story.

"I grew up with Leaf. We lived in Pallet Town in the Kanto region, along with my other friend, Ash. We finished high school, and went our separate ways. Ash wanted to work with animals, and Leaf wanted to pursue a music career. I had no idea what I wanted. So I moved here, to Snowpoint. I got involved with the military, which is how I met with Leaf again. She was playing at the army base where I was stationed. We kept in touch after that, and last year, I took leave. Leaf moved to Snowpoint, and well, we got together."

May heard how every now and again his voice broke, and could sense the pain he was feeling.

"That doesn't sound too bad. Question though, I thought you had to be in service for a certain number of years before you could take leave?"

"Well, I didn't really take leave. I transferred into the office department, which is where I work now."

"Ah, I see. Go on. You were with Leaf, living the dream…" she trailed off, leaving him to pick it up.

"Right. It was all going good. Leaf began to sing at the bar. We had a good income. Then, we began getting our apartment fixed up. I was at work, and when I came home, I found she had… she had…" His voice suddenly trailed off, and May didn't need to hear the words from him. She understood.

"It's alright, I got it." May said, gripping his arm. Gary appreciated the gesture, it was comforting.

His voice kept breaking, but he knew he had to continue, to get the whole story out.

"I guess we broke up after that. But, we had been through so much together. Basically, our whole lives. I was such a player before I saw her at the army base. I was in love with her. And now, I can't stop going to the bar. She's like a drug. I just can't break my addiction with her. And I'm trying so hard. She hurt me so much."

"Maybe that's not a bad thing."

"What do you mean?" There was an edge to his voice. "It's good that I got hurt?"

"Well," May paused, trying to find a way to phrase her words so that Gary wouldn't get mad at her. "Well. You three, with Ash, have been best friends since you were kids. Some friendships, when you've been friends that long, you just can't leave them. No matter what they do to you. It gets more complicated when you get into a relationship with them. You can't leave Leaf because you've been with her so long. She is the one stable thing that has always been in your life. I don't think you like commitment. That's why you were such a player before. Then your whole life has changed since finishing school, and you wanted something solid."

"So what's that mean?"

"I think, she is not good for you."

"But, it's Leaf, I-"

"She's what's safe. In life, if anyone has ever wanted to do anything, they've had to take a few risks."

"What was safe about Leaf? She was my best friend. I could have killed everything I had with her."

"But you made sure you did everything so that you couldn't." May paused, and then began again, "Look, I know it's hard to admit, but what she did to you, you can't forgive her for that. I'm all for the whole, people make mistakes thing, but she has hurt you so bad. You did absolutely nothing wrong, and I this is just a lesson you needed to learn about taking risks. Now you know which ones are good, and which ones are bad."

"Hmm…"

May glanced over at him. He was lost in thought. She knew she was being cruel to Leaf, but she cared about Gary more. That was the price she had to pay.

Neither spoke again for the rest of the walk. Only when May gasped upon their arrival, did Gary turn his thoughts back to her.

His eyebrows raised in an unspoken question at May, he noticed the green-haired man on the ladder.

"Drew."

_**Pokémon**_

"Drew, I'll be back in a bit, okay?"

Dawn locked up the bar, and left. Drew wouldn't try anything, and if there was an emergency May was due to arrive soon anyway.

She was on her way to meet with her boss. Truth be told, he did even less than what she had told Drew. Dawn basically ran the bar already, but all the profits were going to her boss. Mr Isaac Pitchman had always been quite a lazy man, and Dawn intended to make it right.

If there was anything she had learned in the weeks she and Paul had been living separately, it was that she had to stand up for herself more. She was more than capable of doing many things, but she had never really had the faith in herself to do them.

Arriving at her destination, she was more than a little bit impressed. It was in a fairly classy area of town, just a few streets down from the orphanage. Dawn could see the children playing in the windows as she walked past. If she bought the bar, and managed to live in a house like this, she would be very happy.

Knocking on the door, she waited for Mr Pitchman to answer.

"Who is it?" She heard a voice say through the shut door.

"Dawn Shinji. I work at the bar, I have a meeting with you now."

She heard a grunt, and then the door opened. Inside did not reflect the outside. She could see the stains on the floor, and the crooked ornaments and furniture, and the mess everywhere. Worst was the stench, particularly coming from Mr Pitchman's direction.

He was quite a tall man, and also quite thin. Blonde hair and crisp green eyes would have made him attractive if he didn't look so grubby.

"Take a seat." He said, gesturing to one of the couches in the living room. "Would you like anything to drink?"

Dawn doubted that anything available would not have a trace of alcohol, and so she politely declined.

"Suit yourself," he said, opening a beer.

He sat down opposite her and began, "So what's this about?"

Dawn gathered her thoughts before replying, "Mr Pitchman, I am very happy working at the bar, but you have done almost nothing since I have worked there. I do everything besides the wages, which is a set amount that you don't really need to worry about anyway."

Bluntness always seemed to work for Paul when he wanted something, why shouldn't it work for her?

Mr Pitchman just stared at her, before putting his beer down and resting his elbows on his knees, leaning forward as he did so. His voice when he spoke was darker, and Dawn was reminded of one of those horror movies where the girl gets trapped in the house of the killer. She became very aware of all the windows, and where the door was. However, she managed to keep a straight face, hiding her fears.

"What do you suggest we do about that then, Mrs Shinji?"

"I think, certainly, that something needs to be done," she paused, remembering her earlier conversation with Drew. Should she mention the possibility of her buying the bar?

No.

She would have to talk about it with Paul. He was still her husband, and she could not make any large financial decisions without him.

"You want the bar, you can have it," Mr Pitchman interrupted, "Go, take it. Since you can obviously do a better job than me at it. Now leave. I don't think we will need any more interactions in the future. All of the paperwork is in the backroom. A deposit should be made into my account by this time next month."

He stood up very quickly, and crossed the room, grabbed her hand and practically threw her out in only a few seconds.

Dawn was in a state of shock.

What had she done?

She couldn't run a bar on her own.

And she had no idea how much it actually cost.

Oh God, she prayed.

Help me.

_**Pokémon**_

"Hi, how can I help you?"

"My name is Misty Waterflower. I was wondering if I could sign up for this course you have offered."

Misty was standing at the front of a long queue of people who had been affected by the terrorist attacks on Sinnoh. She was holding a brochure in one hand, advertising first aid courses and recovery aid groups that the government were running to assist those in need.

Misty had always liked helping people. She loved swimming, but in Snowpoint, there weren't any positions as life guards or swim coaches available. But she did want to help people in some way.

It was by chance that she saw the brochure blowing along the pavement as she walked by the park.

This was what she had been waiting to do.

"Sure, if you could go and line up in Register Four, they are the ones you will need to talk to."

"Thank you."

She looked across the room for Register 4. There were so many people in the small room, it was no wonder she was felt the air was a bit stale.

Surprisingly, there was no one at the register she was headed to.

She frowned. Surely there would be more people who would want to help those in need?

Ash would have signed up if he could. Ever since they had broken up, she had been struggling to find something to give her life meaning.

Which she hated, because she wanted to get back together as soon as possible.

Misty missed him so much. All she wanted to do was hold his hand and see his smiling face.

Smiling, because he would be happy that she was happy.

"Hi, I'm Misty Waterflower. I was wondering if I could sign up for these courses?"

The lady behind the counter smiled. "Thank you Misty. You're one of the few who have signed up for these."

"Why's that do you think?"

It completely baffled the girl as to why people who cared so much about their loved ones could not care for strangers. Or even sign up to help their loved ones.

"People are very stressed at this point in time. Maybe they are busy trying to support their families. I'm really in no position to judge."

Misty mentally kicked herself. Of course, she had judged these people. She judged everyone. Life would be so much easier if she didn't. Loved ones came first, even to her. She would always make sure that Ash was the first one to be safe.

"So what did you want to sign up for exactly?" the lady asked.

"Well," Misty began, handing the woman the brochure, "I wanted to sign up for the first aid course. The one about how to treat injuries. Then, I was also wondering if I could sign up for that recovery group that is going to travel to Jubilife, and clear up all of the mess. I read that you have to do some special training or something to go there."

The lady nodded. "Yes, you will have to undertake a psych test to make sure you will be capable of dealing with the situations and people that you will face. If you pass that though, you will be able to go. Since you would only be a volunteer there will only be certain things you could do."

"That's alright. I'll do it."

"Are you certain? This kind of thing, you don't take it lightly. Other people's lives are involved."

Misty smiled. "I know. I want to do this. I want to help people. I want to make a difference."

_I want to see my boyfriend again._

_**Pokémon**_

"May?"

She tensed, feeling Gary tensing beside her as well.

Grabbing her keys from her pocket, she swiftly walked to the door, ignoring Drew. She heard him begin to climb down the ladder, and rushed inside the bar, locking Gary out in the process.

"Who are you?" Gary turned around, and saw Drew glaring at him angrily.

"My name's Gary. There's no need to introduce yourself. I know who you are."

"Look, I swear, whatever she told you, none of it is true."

Gary looked at the man in disgust. "You throwing her out isn't true? Making her life miserable isn't true?"

Drew didn't try to interrupt. He let Gary go on and on with his accusations until he was finished. When he finally stopped, Drew didn't attempt to try and explain himself.

He was in the wrong. He knew it. But he had an excess of pride.

He would never admit that he was at fault.

Unfortunately, that was the only way to get May to live with him again.

"So she's living with you now?" he asked Gary.

"Yeah. And I've got her back. If you want to pick a fight with her, you'll have to get through me as well."

"Who said I wanted to pick a fight with her?" He paused, "I don't hit women."

Gary bit back the reply on his tongue. That was not what he was expecting. He expected Drew to be the whole 'woman basher' kind of guy. But now that he thought of it, May never said anything about Drew hitting her.

"Sorry." Gary knew that no guy liked being accused of hitting women, and he felt guilty.

But that didn't mean he was sympathetic to Drew.

Drew glanced up at the lights, and climbed back up the ladder to grab one of the globes.

Climbing back down he said to Gary, "Look, I'm done here. Tell May I'll be here tomorrow as well. I won't talk to her if she doesn't want me to."

"You want to talk to her then?"

Drew looked at Gary coldly, "I never said that."

He walked away, cursing his pride as he went.

_**Pokémon**_

May and Dawn were working the bar when Leaf arrived that evening. Sitting at the counter was Gary. Ash nor Misty were there.

As she collected a glass of water from Dawn, she noticed a green haired man walk into the bar. She saw May ask Gary a question, to which he shook his head. She tried to hear their quick conversation, but the crowded room was too loud. She did hear a name though.

Drew.

That was something at least.

If there was another man involved, maybe May and Gary weren't a couple.

Or maybe he was just an ex of May's.

She hoped it was the first scenario.

Beginning to play, her attention was focused on May as she sang.

_Suppose that I missed you  
Suppose that I care  
And suppose that I spent all my nights running scared  
And suppose  
That I was never there_

Dawn gestured to May to serve Drew. She knew nothing of their history.

Nervously, May went up to him. When he ordered a beer and said nothing else she breathed out a sigh of relief.

Quickly, she got it for him and returned to the bar.

He watched her go, thinking of all that they had been through.

He couldn't blame her for thinking he was a terrible person.

She had been so lost when she arrived in town, and he had betrayed her trust.

_And my eyes are screaming for a sight of you  
And tonight I'm dreaming of all the things that we've been through  
And I can't hold on to you  
So I guess I'll be lonely too_

"_Drew! Help me!" _

_May's startled voice filled the apartment. Drew rushed to her, and saw her standing on a chair. On the floor was a cockroach. _

_He found a shoe and killed it, laughing at her all the while. _

"_Poor April is scared of a little cockroach."_

_She hit him playfully, "That wasn't little! It attacked me! I could have died, and all you can do is laugh at me." She turned around and tilted her face upwards. "Stupid cabbage-head."_

Back in the days where he taught her about living alone. He would always protect her from the big bad things that the world had.

Now she couldn't even look him in the eye.

He had broke her, without laying a finger on her.

_Suppose we were happy  
Suppose it was true  
And suppose there were cold nights  
But we somehow made it through  
And suppose that I'm nothing without you_

He was slowly dying. A horrible, painful death without her.

He hated it.

Despite what he told her, she learned things very quickly. By the end of a few months as roommates, she was doing so much for him. They had had a neat little system worked out.

"_Drew! Come see what I did!"_

_He had just gotten home from work, and May had heard the door slam shut. She was in the kitchen, baking a cake. It was her third attempt at this particular cake. On the first she had accidentally scorched the benchtop, and the second she had burned the chocolate. _

_She hoped he wouldn't notice that._

"_What have you done May?"_

_He stood in the kitchen doorway, looking around the kitchen. _

_He noticed the smoky air, and the scorch marks on the benchtop. _

_He also noticed the beautiful chocolate mud cake on the table. _

"_What did you do to my kitchen? I swear, how could a cake cause so much damage?"_

"_But I made it, see?" She shoved a slice into his face. _

_He laughed and took a bite, faking a bad look on his face._

"_Aw, what did I do wrong? I followed the recipe exactly." She went to the book and began flipping through the pages._

_He laughed, and told her it was perfect._

_My eyes I'm screaming for a sight of you  
And tonight I'm dreaming of all the things that we've been through  
And I can't hold on to you  
So I guess I'll be lonely too_

Then the bad news had come.

Jubilife City had just been bombed.

His family had been on their way to visit him and were caught in the city.

He hadn't heard if they were safe, or if they had been killed.

Every day he had prayed that they were safe, and he would get the call.

But it never came.

Neither did a call come saying that they had been killed.

The waiting was frustrating, and he had to take it out on something.

May just got caught in the middle.

_Slow way down  
This break down's eating me alive  
And I'm tired  
This fight is fighting to survive_

He finished his drink, and ordered another one from Dawn.

Loosing himself in his memories again, he could not keep his eyes off of May.

Dawn came back and caught him looking at her.

"You know, I could get her phone number for you if you wanted to go out on a date."

Drew frantically shook his head. "No, it's fine." He saw Dawn's confused look and continued, "I'm really not looking to date anyone at the moment."

He wanted her to forgive him.

He wanted to keep things to go back to normal.

He wanted to be able to explain everything to her.

_Tell me a secret (I want it)  
Tell me a story (I need it)  
I'll listen intensively  
I'll stay awake all night  
All of me is a whisper (So don't leave)  
There's nothing left in me (Please help me)  
Not even my body is strong enough to fight (Let's make this right)  
Please help me make this right_

But that would never happen.

She probably wouldn't ever talk to him again.

He blinked back tears. It was unmanly to cry.

Truth be told, he had begun to develop feelings for May.

He had never felt that close to any woman before.

That was why he never told her what had happened.

He had just wanted to be the perfect man.

Albeit, a man who would tease her on every occasion he got, but that was just their relationship. She did it to him as well.

Men weren't weak.

That's what he had grown up with.

Telling May his problems would have made him weak.

He had to keep his pride and self-respect. It was the only thing keeping him alive.

It was also what was killing him.

_Suppose that I was wrong  
Suppose you were here  
And suppose that I reached out and caught your tears  
And suppose this fight just disappeared_

Drew groaned. He couldn't take it anymore.

Being in the same room as her and not being able to talk to her was too hard.

He got up and went across to the door.

Feeling a pair of eyes on his back, he turned around, hoping for May.

He was disappointed. It was the singer.

Her green eyes were piercing into his.

Breaking the hold she had, he left.

_And my eyes are screaming for a sight of you  
And tonight I'm dreaming of all the things that we've been through  
And I can't hold on to you  
So I guess I'll be lonely too  
But I'd rather be here with you_

Hearing the door shut, May looked up, and noticed Drew was gone.

She looked across at Leaf, who caught her gaze.

May had heard Leaf's song. She knew that every word was for Gary.

Funny how it also seemed to apply to her and Drew.

But Drew didn't miss her.

He couldn't be.

_**Pokémon**_

**Yay! I am on holidays now. I am sooo happy haha. So I thought I would give all you lovely readers an update. **

**I think I am happy with this chapter for once. It is longer than all the other chapters, and the scenes are longer as well. A lot of character development went into this chapter, particularly in the ContestShipping department. I felt that has been lacking in previous chapters. **

**I would like to say though that all my knowledge of electricity and electronics comes from my Year 8 science class a couple of years ago. I dropped physics as I could not understand it, so do not take my detailings of Drew's job as accurate. They made sense to me, and I figured Dawn doesn't know much either so Drew may have just put it in simple language for her haha.**

**On the other hand, my knowledge of song writing is very good and that is quite accurate, though it's not too hard to get that right. Oh well. Which song do you guys and girls think it will be? **

**This story is about half way through now. I think next chapter or the one after will be the half way point. **

**All your lovely words in the reviews and alerts and favourites mean so much to me. **

_**Replies to Reviews**_

_Chidori Minami – _I still had a week of school. But since I'm in Australia I have my summer holiday now. So yay for me. Your hols will come soon enough :) Thank you. I always feel that a lot of stuff comes out rushed, so I always try to make it emotional to make up for that.

_ShadowAbsol13 – _Aww I don't like making people cry haha. But, I guess that's a good thing. I noticed some of your oneshots on the Pokémon page. I did read them, and I quite liked them, but I was in too much of a rush to review. I'm sorry. I will do that tomorrow so you get some feedback. I know how good it is to get that. :)

_XXPay4XtraShippingsXX – _Haha, there are loads of stories with these shippings. I was actually contemplating whether to make in a Novel and Pearl but decided against it because more people seem to support these ones. Here is your update. I hope you enjoyed it.

_KayJune – _Thanks for that :) Here is an update for you.

_Cherrylovesshipping – _The song title was 'Like a Knife'. I always name the chapters the song title, and I highly recommend listening to them if you haven't. They are all amazing songs. I haven't really decided what to do with Leaf haha. She's just doing a little bit of everything at the moment without realising it.

_MudkipLover33 – _Thank you for your kind words. Here is a nice, fast update for you. I hope you enjoy it as much as the other ones.

_Gyarados' rage – _I really used the war to create a backstory for Drew and for Misty, as you have seen. I think now that I have put it in though, I do need to make a use for it. It's always fun to read different writing styles. I'm glad you think mine is different to other ones.

_TheScoutFinch – _Thank you for your kind words. Drew did not abuse May. It's just that since she had been living on the streets for a while, and when you are undernourished your body becomes more susceptible to diseases and things like that, and bruises are one of those kinds of things.

_LeafxGreenx3 – _Your reviews always make me so happy :) Maybe is my favourite song off the album. I have big plans for that song. It will be towards the end I think, because to me it just seems like a more 'hopeful' kind of song compared to some others. The same with Fall For You. I have so many plans for all the couples haha. I just need to figure out how to fit it all in. I'll find a way :) I like using some of the lesser thought about friendships. I hate clicheness, and I know there's always going to be some level of that, but I can avoid it where I can. I'm so happy I got this update up fast for all of you, I feel like I owe it to you haha for giving me such nice words.

_Hikari's fantasy – _Yep, that's the plot in a nutshell. I don't like the stories where you only see one point of view. I often think those are very biased and they are confusing to read, because suddenly people just kind of back flip and you have no idea why… But yeah. Here is your update :)

_KittyKatLovesBooks – _Aww you are too kind. I don't deserve all that haha. I promise I won't doubt it. I will just continue to write to make you happy haha. :) It's actually nice writing to. I love it. Being able to escape into your own little fantasy world. It's absolutely the best feeling. And when what you write is greeted with that response, it's just beautiful. Thank you so much.

_GoldenGloryQueen – _Haha, I wouldn't call it that yet. But thank you for liking it. It means so much to me. Here is your update :)

**As I have said, holidays are here, so hopefully I might get an update out every 2 weeks if I can be motivated enough. That's what I'm aiming for, but probably that won't happen.**

**Thank you everyone :)**


	6. Chapter 6

**Yay for holidays. I have so much time to write. Here is another speedy update :) This chapter is a couple of weeks after the last one for the time frame.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Pokémon or the song 'Why' which is by Secondhand Serenade.**

_**Chapter 6 – Why**_

Dawn had to know.

She just had to.

She had put it off for weeks now.

The bar was quickly emptying. Only May, Dawn and Leaf were present now. After a quick word to Dawn, May left with Gary, who was waiting outside for her.

Dawn saw Leaf look up at the door as May walked through, and saw Gary make a quick remark to May, making her laugh.

Leaf bit her lip, wondering whether she should go after him. It would probably be the only chance she got for a while. Just as she stood up though, Dawn approached her, pulling up a chair and sitting by the stage.

"What do you want, Dawn?" she asked.

"Sit."

Leaf looked around curiously, then opted to sit cross legged on the stage, facing Dawn.

"What do you want?" Leaf repeated, "Is there something up with you?"

Dawn sniffed, thinking of Paul. How Leaf knew so much was a mystery to her, but she just accepted it.

But that wasn't what she had come to talk about.

"I'm not here to talk about me. I want to know what's up with you."

Leaf froze. She looked at Dawn, and saw her cobalt eyes gazing intensely at her.

Dawn was serious, obviously concerned about her. Leaf had never seen her look so serious before.

"That's none of your business," Leaf muttered, but she made no attempt to leave. She looked back down at her lap, and began fiddling with a lock of her hair.

"It is if you are working for me."

Leaf looked up, confused. "I thought you worked for Mr Pitchman? Isn't that who I am working for as well?"

Dawn sighed, "Not anymore. Mr Pitchman very generously sold this bar to me earlier today. Quite convenient." There was sarcasm oozing from her words, causing Leaf to smile a very small smile.

"Well, you basically ran it anyway."

"We're getting off topic."

This time Leaf did smile. "I hoped you wouldn't notice."

Dawn snorted. "I'm not an idiot. Why do you keep looking at Gary whenever he comes in? What happened between you two?"

Leaf's hands moved to play with the strings of her guitar, sitting in the still not closed guitar case. She really didn't want to talk about this. Why could Dawn not see that?

"I know you don't want to talk about it. But we're going to. Your songs are very pretty, but I haven't heard a happy song from you yet. It pains me when anyone is upset, yet alone someone I'm close to."

Dawn thought her songs were pretty? She liked them? Gary had never said that to her. He had thought she was wasting her life away on a career that would only lead her to misery.

But that wasn't important.

"I'm close to you?" Leaf asked. She had barely said anything to Dawn, and she hadn't been very friendly when she had.

"I hope we can be. You bring good business."

Maybe she could trust Dawn. Maybe Dawn could help her. No one else she trusted enough to tell the full truth to, besides Ash, and he was different. He was an old friend.

"Fine."

Leaf shut her eyes, figuring out where to begin. She still had only met Dawn, so perhaps the quick version would do to explain everything.

"Gary and I went to highschool together. We graduated five years ago and went on separate paths. We met up a year ago, and began dating. Then, about a month ago, I did something that I have never done before. I don't even know how it happened. I think I might have been drunk. I… I cheated on him. And I know that happens to loads of couples, which it shouldn't, I mean, it's a terrible thing, but Gary got so angry. I don't understand. He used to do it all the time in highschool. And now… now I can't get him back. And he's already moved on with that May chick. I just don't know what I can do…"

Dawn waited patiently as Leaf talked. When she started speaking faster and tears came to her eyes, she reached out and gripped her knee, offering her support. When she began to stop and start, catching her breath, trying to compose herself, Dawn waited.

She waited until Leaf trailed off until she said anything.

"I think," she began, "that what you did was terrible."

Leaf began crying. She already knew all this, why was Dawn rubbing it in?

"If you two are truly meant to be together, you will work it out. He will forgive you, it just may take some time."

"Really?" Leaf honestly doubted that Gary would ever talk to her again.

"As for May, you shouldn't worry about her. I know, for a fact, that she and Gary are only friends. She was going through a rough patch and he let her live with him. They are only roommates."

Dawn paused, and caught her breath before continuing, "The fact that he is coming here, and only started coming here since you two broke up, should give you some hope, that maybe he's not ready to move on either."

Dawn knew hope was a powerful thing. Hope and faith.

They were the two reasons that she hadn't given up on Paul.

Except now she was just as much to blame as him.

"Thank you, Dawn. That means so much to me."

Dawn reached out and gave the girl a hug. They remained like that for a while, before Leaf said into her ear, "You don't understand how much those words have helped me. I can only try and help you the same way."

They broke apart, and Dawn returned the chair to its place, and waited while Leaf closed her guitar case and made her way to the entrance.

"Believe me. You have already helped in more ways than one."

_**Pokémon**_

The next morning dawned early and cool. There was a harsh wind cutting through the streets of Snowpoint, and Misty tugged on her jacket, pulling it tighter around her. She crossed her arms and kept her head low in an effort to retain what warmth she had.

Hurrying on, she fought not to be distracted by the cold.

She was on a mission.

She had to be prepared. She left for Jubilife City in a week.

Her last tests were today. If she didn't pass…

_No. Don't think about that. It's not an option._

Misty shook her head, and rearranged the beret on her head. She had let her hair loose so that it hung loosely on her neck, keeping it warm.

Actually, she was dressed much different to usual. She could not wait to get to Jubilife where it would be warmer. She hated wearing this grey trench coat, and stockings with boots that she found awkward to walk in.

And yet she was still so cold.

Why did her examination have to be at the park?

She was interrupted from her musings by a voice.

"Hello, are you here for the first aid examination?"

Misty turned towards the voice and saw a male, around her age, tall, with sharp features and an easy grin. He had ash blonde hair, slightly long, and hazel eyes, which were bright and piercing.

Overall, he was quite attractive.

And a familiar face, which was having trouble placing.

"Yes, I am," she replied, smiling at him.

"You're Misty, right? I've seen you around some of the classes. I'm Blake."

That's right. He was in her first aid course. Meaning he would be going to the exam as well.

They shook hands, formally meeting.

"You look cold," he said to her, "want a hug?"

Misty blushed and managed to get out a response, "N-no thank you. Besides, we will be late if we don't hurry."

She mentally cursed herself. Since when did boys have this effect on her? She was a strong person. Sure of herself. Boys didn't make her blush.

Especially if they weren't Ash.

She felt guilty feeling this way. She still felt guilty about breaking up with him.

She broke up with him because she wanted to figure herself out. Not because she didn't love him.

Even hot guys like Blake didn't make her feel any less about Ash.

He looked a bit put out, but said nothing, as the pair continued on their way to the park.

_**Pokémon**_

It was relatively easy, Misty thought. Definitely the easiest out of all her examinations. She found the practical ones easier than the written ones though, so that didn't mean much.

Now all she could do was wait.

She really wanted to pass. If she didn't, she couldn't go to Jubilife. If she couldn't go to Jubilife, she would have to find something else to do, meaning she was apart from Ash longer.

"You did well there."

Misty looked up from her hands, where she had been putting her gloves back on.

Expecting to see Blake again, she was surprised when she saw a green-haired man.

"Are you one of the people looking to go to Jubilife?"

Misty hesitated before replying. She had no idea who this man was. "Yes."

The man looked like he was about to ask another question, so Misty cut him off before he could say anything, "Who are you?"

She saw the man hesitate as a response. Maybe he realised he had just started talking to a random stranger. And a girl stranger at that. He might have realised how he was coming off to her.

"My name's Drew. I have family in Jubilife."

Misty gave the man a sympathetic look. She herself had never lost any family, and she always knew what they were doing, and where they were.

This man, Drew, didn't even know if they were alive.

Even though he was a stranger, she couldn't help but pity him.

She reached out, and hesitating, placed her hand in his.

"I'll look out for them. Tell me who they are. When I get there, I'll let you know."

Drew smiled, and returned her grip.

He told her their names, and gave her his number.

He breathed in a sigh of relief.

Finally, he might get some answers.

_**Pokémon**_

"Okay. What do you think of this?"

Leaf strummed a few chords on her guitar, singing the lyrics as she did so.

They had been working on the song for a few weeks now.

Normally it would not take this long for Leaf to write a song, but she wanted Ash to be involved. She wanted him to feel like he wrote it more than she did, so that Misty would know as well. She was really just there for guidance.

Ash nodded his head. "Yeah, that sounds really good. But, I just thought of a line. Do you think we could add it in somewhere?"

Leaf frowned, and looked at her manuscript. "How long is it?"

"I know everything you wanted isn't anything you have."

"Okay, I got it. In the bridge. We'll take out one of the repetitions and put it in."

Ash clapped his hands together. "Cool. So, could you play it all through?"

Leaf nodded. "Alright. Let's give this a shot."

She began playing. Ash shut his eyes as she did so, lost in his own world, and she felt so alone.

Ash had his own troubles. So did Dawn.

They could try and help her, but no one could sympathise with a cheater.

A cheater.

That's what she was.

She didn't deserve Gary's forgiveness.

Leaf played the last chord. Her head was down, her hair in her face. Tears was leaking out of her eyes.

"I think it's finished, Ash. Go, find her. I'll play it on Friday."

She never looked up, and Ash saw the tears that had dripped onto her guitar.

He stood, and patted her on the shoulder, then left.

Leaf sobbed. She couldn't take this anymore.

She didn't deserve this life.

She had killed everything they had.

The sobs turned hysterical, and she fell from her chair.

Her guitar fell to the ground with her, clattering as it went.

_**Pokémon**_

Drew wiped a hand across his brow.

"I think I'm done, Dawn!" he called down from the roof.

The sun was setting, and it was getting dark quite quickly. Dawn came outside and looked up at him, gesturing for him to come down. He climbed down, and she went back inside.

After a few seconds, he saw as the bright lights flickered into life. She exited the bar again, and squealed in excitement. She jumped up and down and hugged Drew.

Maybe things wouldn't be so bad after all.

"I'm sure people will want to come to the bar now it looks more appealing."

Drew smiled. The woman was so optimistic and happy. He could not believe that she was having issues with her husband.

"Thank you, Drew." She turned back to him, and her happy face turned serious. "Now, what do I owe you for the job?"

"My call out fee was sixty, and then we'll say twenty-five per hour."

"You got called out twice. That's one twenty, then three hours each day for one twenty-five. Two forty-five altogether." She frowned. "That doesn't seem like much."

"That's my rates." Drew shrugged. She didn't need to know he was giving her a discount. "If you feel bad you could give me a free beer tonight."

Dawn still looked doubtful, but she nodded. "No need to worry. I'll put this into your account some time in the next week. Is that okay with you?"

"So you've taken it on then?"

She sighed, "I don't really have a choice."

"Have you told your husband?"

Dawn ignored him, taking the ladder down for him instead.

_I'll take that as a no._

"I'm sure he would want to know."

He saw her shoulders slump, "It's not so simple as that."

"We tend to make things more complicated than they actually are."

"Thanks for your work, Drew." She handed him the ladder and he took the hint, putting it away and leaving her to deal with her own emotions and problems.

_**Pokémon**_

As Ash left Leaf's apartment, he was worried about her. He was worried that she might do something to herself.

Pulling out his phone, he dialled Gary's number.

"_Gary Oak."_

"Hey Gary. It's Ash."

"_Ashy-boy! I haven't seen you in weeks. We should catch up. We didn't do much of that last time…"_

Ash noticed Gary trail off, probably thinking about their last conversation.

"We should. How about now? We can hit the bar later."

"_Sounds like a plan. See you then."_

Gary hung up the phone.

Ash scrolled dialled another number. He didn't need to go through his contacts to find this one. Pressing call, he waited while it rang.

"_Hi. This is Misty. What's up Ash?"_

Ash smiled. She recognised his personal ringtone.

"Hey, Mist. I was just wondering how you're going?"

"_I'm good. Hold on, two secs."_

Ash waited while he heard something banging across the phone line. This continued for a while, making him become worried. Finally, he heard her voice again.

"_Sorry about that. Listen, Ash. I really need to talk to you. Are you free any time soon?"_

Ash didn't like that sound of that. Should he organise a time before Friday? In case he needed Leaf to not play the song?

"_Ash, are you there?"_

"Yeah, sorry. How about tomorrow? We'll meet up for lunch."

"_Aha. Alright. Thanks, Ash. I'll talk to you then. I really have to go now."_

"Bye, Mist."

Ash wondered what Misty was busy with. She didn't mention anything. Maybe it was something to do with what she wanted to tell him about.

He shrugged. There was nothing he could do about it now.

He hurried along the road, anxious to get out of the cold, and to talk to Gary.

_**Pokémon**_

There was a knocking at the door as May was cleaning the kitchen.

Sighing in frustration, she removed her gloves and set them on the counter, wondering where Gary was. Surely he could have opened the door?

She reached it just as the knocking began again.

"Hello?"

Standing there was a raven haired man. May guessed this must be Ash, Gary's friend.

"I'm Ash. I told Gary I was coming over." He peered over May's shoulder to look at the apartment, trying to find his friend.

"I'm May. Come in." Her frustration gone, she smiled brightly at him, which he returned. "Gary!" she called.

"Sorry, May. Wha- Ash!" Gary came down the corridor, his confusion quickly turning to happiness on his face when he saw the other man.

The two embraced, patting each other on the back, and then Gary led Ash over to the couch, and they began an animated discussion.

May paid no attention to it, and instead returned to the kitchen.

However, this was hard.

May had a rather curious nature, and didn't like not knowing things.

She didn't like not knowing why Ash was here.

So she looked around the kitchen and found some crackers and cheese that she brought out to the pair. After Ash requested a glass of water, she went back to the kitchen and returned with three.

She sat down in an armchair where she remained largely unnoticed.

May didn't have bad intentions. She figured if they didn't want her there, they could always tell her to leave.

"So, Gary. I did actually want to talk to you about Leaf."

This perked May's interest. She still didn't know much about Leaf apart from what Gary told her. Ash might offer a fresh perspective on the matter.

Unfortunately, Gary didn't share that sentiment.

"There's nothing to talk about, Ash."

"Bull. She really, really misses you." There was a determination in Ash's voice, that made Gary sit up and become more stern.

"You know what she di-"

"And you don't know why she did it. You haven't even tried to talk to her. She called you. She needs something, Gary."

"She doesn't deserve anything."

"Then do it for yourself. You can't move on from her without talking to her."

There was a silence for a few moments.

"You don't want to move on from her, do you?" That was May.

She felt terribly guilty hearing this conversation. She realised how out of line she had been to dictate what Gary should do in regards to the situation. She didn't know anything about it.

That didn't mean she couldn't have her opinion. But still…

A noise broke the silence that again followed.

Gary was crying.

Ash moved over so that he could say a few words into his ear.

May stood, which only Ash noticed, and she left, leaving the two on their own.

Leaning against the doorway, she sunk to the ground, her head resting on her knees.

Curse her opinionated self. She had caused Gary so much pain, forbidding him to try again with Leaf. She had told him to forget her, without knowing all they had been through.

Neither Ash nor Gary needed to say anything about their relationship for May to understand that now.

She had just said what she wanted, thinking she was right.

But she didn't know the backstory, all that had led up to the events.

_Drew…_

She had to know. What if she had made some terrible mistake.

Glancing at her watch, she figured it was too late today. Tomorrow would be a new day.

Tomorrow, she would get some answers.

_**Pokémon**_

As Gary arrived at the bar, the first thing he noticed was the absence of Leaf on the stage. The second was that there were more people than usual.

Particularly men.

He didn't know why this bothered him, but it did.

Maybe it was the fact that Leaf would have to move through all of them, and listen to all of their comments, when she arrived. For he had no doubt that she would be here.

As if on cue, as he ordered a drink from Dawn, he noticed the brunette and her guitar enter the bar.

And just as he had predicted, he noticed the men already hitting on his girl.

_No. Not his girl._

"She's your girl."

Was the whole universe against him? Couldn't it see he didn't want to get back together with her?

He looked towards the voice, and saw Paul.

"She's not my girl."

"Bull. You want her."

Gary got the feeling that Paul didn't care what other people thought of him.

He also thought that he was rather blunt.

"Doesn't matter." He managed to get out.

"_The buttons on my phone are worn thin  
I don't think that I knew the chaos I was getting in._

_But I've broken all my promises to you  
I've broken all my promises to you."_

"She did something to you? Hurt you? Now you can't forgive her. You want to."

"Yeah, her songs are about us."

Gary finally accepted the fact that with their situation, and the way Leaf expressed herself, people were going to find out about what happened very easily. There was no use trying to deny it.

"Have you talked to her?"

"No."

"It's always good to talk to people." He took a sip of his beer. "Let's them know you care."

Gary noticed May and Dawn both look up as he said that. They quickly returned to his work, but it let him know that now yet another person would know of his situation.

"_Why do you do this to me?  
Why do you do this so easily?  
You make it hard to smile because  
You make it hard to breathe  
Why do you do this to me?"_

"So," Gary began, "Let's say, hypothetically, I still like this girl. But, I can't forgive her yet. I talk to her, and it ends up in an argument. I still like this girl, but now I have even more reason not to get back with her."

"Hypothetically, why would it end in an argument?"

Gary paused. Why would it end in an argument? It didn't have to. If anyone started the argument it would be him.

"Because…" he trailed off, "because I haven't forgiven her."

"But you can't forgive her without hearing her side of the story."

Gary didn't know what to say. He didn't know what to think.

He hated it when people proved him wrong.

He just wanted everything to go back to how it was.

"_A phrasing that's a single tear,  
Is harder than I ever feared  
And you were left feeling so alone.  
Because these days aren't easy  
Like they have been once before  
These days aren't easy anymore."_

"How can I make it go back to normal?"

"You can't."

Gary glared at Paul, who shrugged as a reply.

"Look, you have an option. Talk to her, or not. That's it."

Gary sighed, "I know, you've said that. Quite a lot of times, actually."

"Fine then. Let me help you."

Gary noticed Dawn come up to the pair. He figured she must have been listening the entire time.

"Go on, Paul. Tell him how to fix his life. Distract yourself from trying to fix your own." She smiled, but it was only in her mouth. Her eyes were cold, glaring at Paul. But there was also something else there.

Fear perhaps?

What could the blue haired girl be hiding?

Gary wasn't sure.

"Go away, Dawn." Paul muttered.

She shook her head at him, and talking under her breath, went to serve a customer.

"Now, I-"

"She's got a point."

Paul flinched. He was aware Dawn had a point.

"I'm working on it."

"Doesn't sound like it."

Paul stood up. "If you don't want help, I won't give it to you."

He began walking away, and Gary turned and grabbed his arm. "Wait. Please."

Paul smirked, and sat again.

"Right."

"_Why do you do this to me?  
Why do you do this so easily?  
You make it hard to smile because  
You make it hard to breathe  
Why do you do this to me?  
To me, to me, to me."_

"You gotta do something fast. I don't think she will wait much more."

Gary looked at Leaf. "What do you mean?"

He did notice that she had bags under her eyes, and overall looked more unkempt than usual, but surely she was just tired. She stayed up late every night.

"She's killing herself doing this every night. And you don't even recognise her. She probably thinks you have completed moved on."

"Paul… Would I still be here if I had moved on?"

Paul didn't apologize, but he looked apologetic.

"I know what it's like to be angry at someone, and not forgive them. You think there's no way that you could possibly be at fault. You did everything for them. That's what got me into the mess I'm in."

Gary smiled. "You're trying to help yourself by helping me."

Paul smirked. "Yeah, I don't help people for no reason." He paused, and then began again, "The only reason you feel the way you feel, is because you love her more deeply than you have loved anything else. And that's saying something. That's why you changed for her. That's why when you talk with her, even if you haven't forgiven her, you won't get into an argument with her."

"That doesn't make any sense."

Paul stood, and stretched. "It actually does. Think about it."

"_I should have known this wasn't real  
And fought it off and fought to feel  
What matters most? Everything  
That you feel while listening to every word that I sing.  
I promise you I will bring you home  
I will bring you home."_

"It doesn't make sense."

Paul sighed in frustration, and sat down again. He wanted to leave, but he couldn't leave like this. It was important.

"Let's play a game. I'm going to ask you a question, and you're going to answer as fast as you can. Don't even think about it."

"What's this got to do with anything?"

Paul just smiled knowingly.

"Fine. Ask ahead."

"Black or white?"

"White."

"Peace or war?"

"Peace."

"Trust or disharmony?"

"Trust."

"With or without Leaf?"

"With."

"There you go."

"What?"

"You want peace and trust and to be with Leaf. You don't want an argument. You won't have an argument."

And in a strange way, that made sense.

"_Why do you do this to me?  
Why do you do this so easily?  
You make it hard to smile because  
You make it hard to breathe  
Why do you do this to me?"_

Paul went to the door.

Gary called out to him, "I still don't think your methods are quite accurate."

Paul opened the door and called back at him, "If you love her, then you know there's only one ending to your story."

Gary watched him leave. Paul hadn't really given him a very clear answer.

But he had told him one thing.

Leaf was special. She was worth fighting for.

"_Why do you do this to me?  
Why do you do this so easily?  
You make it hard to smile because  
You make it hard to breathe  
Why do you do this to me?  
To me, to me, to me."_

He loved her.

She did what she did because she didn't love him.

He didn't know why she didn't love him like he loved her.

But he was going to try to fix it.

Calling Dawn over, he left her a note for her to give to Leaf.

_The park. I get off work at 4. See you then. Gary._

_**Pokémon**_

**Okay. I hope that made sense. I have been writing all day trying to get a chapter up. And the last scene was really hard, because they don't know each other, and I can't write Paul and yeah… It was just really sucky. I have reread it so many times, and I don't know how else to fix it. **

**Sorry.**

**I think I am finally warming up to ContestShipping. I love writing Drew. He is my second favourite person to write behind Leaf. I adore her because she doesn't have a set personality. I have tried to give them characteristics from the anime episodes to keep them in character. Like with May, I always felt she is very confident, and I remembered that episode where she was doing a contest and wouldn't accept help from anyone else. Yeah, little things like that, which make it easier to write them, so if I am not, please let me know. It would be greatly appreciated. **

_**Replies to Reviews**_

_TheScoutFinch – _Aww. Don't cry haha. Your words mean so much to me. Thank you for your kind words. :) ContestShipping parts are so much fun to write. They are the only couple at the moment how I know it's going to get resolved. So I hope that when they do, it lives up to your expectations.

_Ka-tay's mind – _I'm not sure how to take that. Am I overdoing it? Or are you just making a general comment? I'm so confused… haha. But that's not hard to do. Thanks for the review :)

_ShadowAbsol13 – _Yes, I did read them :)

_KittyKatLovesBooks – _It makes me so happy reading your reviews. Every time you do I just feel my heart swell up. They mean so much. I think before I started writing this ContestShipping was probably the shipping I least liked. But now it is definitely up with LeafgreenShipping. But it is so hard to write them in character! Gaah.

_KayJune – _I didn't plan for it to be that way, it just kind of happened. And Misty and Paul haven't really associated with each other, because I feel like they are strong enough to stand on their own. Like, they have such domineering personalities, if that makes sense? Oh well, we'll see where it goes.

_Sarah's Fantasy – _Yep. This story is all about people realising their mistakes, and gaining new perspectives and friends to fix them :) I thought it would be at least a bit different to other stories in that way with the different people. Haha, please don't kill May, I need her. There isn't much Ikari in this chapter, I'm sorry. But, I can promise loads in the next one! I am so excited. I have the song picked already and argh! I'm so excited haha. I hope you enjoyed this chapter as well. :)

**That's all the formalities done now. :) Yay! 20 favourites. I'm so excited, and only 2 reviews off 50 reviews! **

**The next chapter won't be up until after New Year, so Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year from me! I hope you all have fun and safe holidays. Ciao!**


	7. Chapter 7

**Happy New Year everyone! **

_**Chapter 7 – Goodbye**_

It was the new day she had been waiting for.

Today was nothing like yesterday, where the wind had bitten and clawed at her soul. She had broken down in the hallway, her entire being ripped to shreds, and made the vow to start afresh.

No, today was nothing like yesterday.

Today there was no wind. None at all. Perhaps the calm before the storm, but that was okay. If nature could be still, so could May. She could sort through the jigsaw pieces that her life had become, and begin to fit the pieces together.

Gary had already left, and May had finished cleaning up the apartment. She collected a pen and paper, and sat at the table, ready to begin.

Which was easier said than done.

May glanced at the clock. She had been sitting there for ten minutes, and still had no idea how to begin.

She frowned.

How could it be this hard? Surely it wasn't really that complex. But all her thoughts and problems were fighting for dominance.

Drew… money… friends… family… work.

They were all important and all intertwined. But each had to be solved and only one could be solved at a time.

She remembered something Drew had once called her. _Airhead._ Maybe that was her problem. How could she make this easier?

She needed some way to organise her thoughts before she could write them down.

May clicked her fingers as the light bulb went off in her head. She loved watching those crime shows on TV. Whenever they wanted to find out something they would just ask a bunch of questions and eventually they would get the answer.

No doubt it was a lot more complicated than this, but May shrugged. She was not trying to solve a murder.

Now she was focused, she tried again.

She gave up with the pen and paper, and began interrogating herself.

She walked around the room, nodding to herself as she went, clicking her fingers and making 'hmm' noises.

She turned suddenly, back towards the table.

"Now. May Maple. Tell me, how does this happen to you? How does a twenty-two year old woman end up living on the streets, with nowhere to live, no job, no money, and no family?"

Her spirit remained at the table, quivering.

"_I-I don't know."_

May nodded. "Expected. Let's try and refresh your memory then. Where did it all begin?"

"_When I moved to Sinnoh. Drew let me live with him."_

That's right. That was the most important thing. Drew was the heart of the issue. Her problems had started with him.

"Right. Then you lived with him for two years, yes?" May paused, waiting for her spirit to nod. When she did, May continued, "What changed in two years? He was good to you. You needed a place to stay."

"_It was sudden. Nothing happened."_

She pouted. That was also true. It was very sudden. One day, Drew was friendly, one day he was not. May struggled to find something that could explain it.

She walked to the table, and placed two hands firmly on it. She glared into the eyes of her imaginary self, and her voice dropped to a whisper, "Think, May. Something had to happen. People don't change for no reason."

"_I- I started to like him. I don't know why. But, there was nothing else."_

"Hmm…" May pulled out a chair and sat, still leaning on the table. "Any chance he found you liked him? Maybe he didn't know how to tell you he wasn't interested. People respond differently in those situations."

May was confused, and so, her spirit was as well. Her eyes glazed over, as if she were remembering her time with Drew. Then, _"No. He didn't know."_

She vanished. May found herself alone in the room again.

She smiled to herself. That had gone better than she had thought it would have.

There was just one question left to answer before the whole picture could become clear.

_Why did Drew change?_

_**Pokémon**_

Leaf held the note in her hand. It was the one Gary had given her last night.

He wanted to meet with her.

She had no idea how or why or what had changed his mind.

All she knew was that he was going to speak to her. Hear her side of the story.

But…

She had no clue what that was herself.

Leaf stood in the shade of a tree in the park. It was 3:45. Gary was going to arrive in fifteen minutes.

When he came, all Leaf knew was that she was going to try and convince him to give her a second chance. But she had no argument to support why he should.

People just didn't give other people second chances.

_Once a cheater, always a cheater…_

Gary was a much better person than she.

A tear escaped Leaf's eye.

She didn't deserve him.

Leaf had tried to convince herself that they loved each other, and that he had deserved what she had given to him.

That night, he did not come home when he said he would. He was late.

She knew from his past there was usually only one reason why Gary was late for things.

So she had slept with the man, as revenge for what she knew he was doing.

At least, that was what she had tried to think. She knew it was not the truth. Gary had done so much for her. She had just gotten bored with him.

The truth was that Leaf never had a long term relationship before him either. It was hard to commit when she was constantly travelling with her music.

Now Gary was trying to fix things, when he did not need to. No one else would try to.

Dawn was right. Gary just didn't think he could love someone else like he loved Leaf. That was why he kept coming back to the bar.

He needed closure.

That was when Leaf made her decision.

She would not let him screw everything up by getting back with her. She could not run that risk.

Leaf left the park without meeting with Gary.

He would be mad, no doubt, think she was a coward, and running away. But no, she was leaving because she loved him.

She made the choice for the both of them.

And when he came to the bar that night…

She would let him know it was over the only way she knew how.

_**Pokémon**_

Gary arrived at the park.

4:11pm his watch told him.

He looked around, and saw only children playing with a ball.

Leaf was nowhere to be seen.

He punched the nearest tree, the loose leaves falling around him.

_Why was she not here?_

He had been certain she would come.

She had wanted him to forgive her so much.

Gary didn't understand.

He was angry. He still loved her, despite what she did.

He knew it would have taken more than one meeting to fix things but he was sure they could do it.

Maybe she was just too afraid.

That had to be it.

She was too scared to fix things with him.

Too scared of what might happen. Things could never go back to how they were before she had cheated on him. Leaf did not want to admit that. She wanted the perfect fairytale love story, which was gone.

If she thought that he was going to keep chasing her, well, she was wrong.

This prince would do no more chasing.

Tonight, he would go to the bar, one last time.

He would make Leaf talk to him, and tell her it was over.

A relationship could not be mended when only one person was trying to fix it.

_**Pokémon**_

Misty was pacing her apartment, waiting for Ash to arrive.

She was trying to figure out the best way to tell him what she had to tell him. If she acted happy, he would think she didn't care about him. If she was sad, he would think he was holding her back. Neither was the case.

All her worries left her though when she heard the door knocking. All that was left was the excitement of seeing him. She ran to the door, knocking over a chair as she went, and smiled when she saw Ash standing on the other side.

His face also wore a smile and they hugged each other, relaxing in each other's presence.

"I've missed you Ash…" she murmured. She nuzzled her head into his chest, remembering the days when she was taller than him. She was glad those days were over.

"You too, Mist," he replied, his hands running up and down her back. Her hair smelled like roses.

It was the little things they had both missed.

He felt her pull away, and felt a twinge of sadness. He did not want this moment to end.

She led him to the couch, where they both sat, facing each other. Misty pulled her legs up to sit cross legged and he grinned again. She would sit cross legged wherever she went, whether it was in the movies or at her home. She would have it no other way.

"Ash…" her grin fell from her face as soon as it had risen. The worries had come back. All the preparation in the world could not prepare her for actually telling him her news. Gone were the days where she knew exactly what to tell him and how.

"What's wrong, Mist?" Ash could see she was fighting an internal battle, and he wished that she would let him be a part of it. Whatever she had done in their time apart… it was causing her grief now. "Let me be a part of this."

She looked up at him, and sighed. He had said those exact words when she had broken up with him.

After much deliberation, she decided to tell him straight out, not talk in riddles. They both hated riddles.

"I'm leaving for Jubilife City on Saturday."

Ash froze. "W-what?" Misty could see the tears well up in his eyes, but he quickly blinked them away. He knew she was doing something she wanted to do, and he did not want to ruin that.

She decided to put his mind at ease.

"I found something I wanted to do. When we split, and the war finished, I thought of all those people that had been affected. I wanted to know what I could do. I wanted to make a difference."

"So you're going to go there and help with the clean-up effort?"

Misty nodded. "Yes." There was a determination in her voice now. Knowing that Ash seemed to be okay with it made everything perfect.

Then, "How long will you be gone for?"

This was the best part. "Two weeks," she began. "After that, we come back to Snowpoint. Then if we want to join officially we can and we get rostered on to a team." She paused, taking a breath, "Two weeks, Ash. Then this is all over."

"What if it's not what you want?"

"Do you think it won't be?" Misty was worried now. She no longer wanted to do this if she could be better spending her time doing something else.

"No." The corners of Ash's mouth twitched. "I haven't seen you this excited about something in ages."

He looked at her, and she smiled back at him.

Leaning forward, he cupped her face in his hands and tilted it upwards. He brought his lips to hers, and closed the distance.

It was only a short kiss, but it meant more to the both of them than any other they had shared.

It was a symbol of hope, of love, of all that they were going through.

It was a promise, that everything would be okay soon.

"Come to the bar, tomorrow night. We'll have a little going away party for you. Just us two. And Leaf."

Leaf? The singer from the bar?

"Why Leaf?"

Ash stood and walked to the door. Misty followed him.

All Ash did was shrug and say, "She's going through a rough patch."

Her curiosity was eating her alive, but she knew better than to ask. As she watched him walk down the hallway she smiled. "It's a date."

_**Pokémon**_

"_This is Paul. Leave a message."_

"Argh!" Dawn cried.

She was sitting in her apartment, waiting for Paul to answer his phone. She had tried six times over the course of the morning and he still had not answered.

Sighing in frustration, she decided to go to their house. Gathering her coat and putting on her scarf, she left quickly and hurried down the street.

She would make him talk to her.

What she had to tell him was important. It was about the bar. Yesterday had been the deadline to put a deposit into Mr Pitchman's bank account.

Dawn could not believe how much she had screwed up. All she had wanted to do was prove to Paul that she could live by herself.

Except… she had screwed that up.

She arrived and started rapping on the door, almost hitting Paul when he opened it suddenly.

"Dawn?"

She could see the surprise on his face, and the phone in his hand.

"You got my call then? Why didn't you pick up?" She knew there was anger etched onto her features, and surprisingly, there was also on Pauls's.

"Why is there twenty thousand dollars missing from our bank account?"

Dawn flinched. Damn. He had noticed.

He let her in. "I've been on the phone to the bank all morning. They said you transferred it last night. But it's not even a bank account either of us knows. I-"

"Paul!" she cut him off. "Why do you think I've been trying to call you all morning?"

"I didn't get any of those calls. I've been talking to the bank."

"Right." She replied dryly. "Not even for a second were you off the phone?"

"Dawn…" he growled.

She pouted at him, glaring at him as she did so.

"What did you do?"

The anger evaporated off her face. She went to speak, but no words came out. She paused, and tried again, with the same result. Her face crumpled, and she began to cry.

"Dawn!" The anger in his voice was gone. He grabbed at her arms, leading her to a chair, clearly worried.

"I screwed up!" she cried. "And so you know, I didn't come here so you could say 'I told you so'. I…" she trailed off, "I need help, Paul."

He hugged her. It was their first real display of affection since before Dawn moved out.

And Dawn enjoyed it. He was never one to initiate any form of contact, and so she smiled as she cried.

"Troublesome…" Dawn glared at him for the nickname.

Paul glared back at her. "I'm not going to say I told you so. I just want to know where our money went."

_Our _money. Dawn knew she should have told Paul earlier. They were still married, even if they had been fighting

She sobbed the whole while through telling him, but she managed to tell him everything. About working at the bar, hiring Drew, visiting Mr Pitchman, and transferring the money as a deposit on the bar.

"I-I wanted to prove a point to you, Paul. And it backfired on me. Now we are down twenty thousand dollars, plus more, you still don't understand why I moved out in the first place, and I don't know what to do any more. I put so much effort into trying to help fix this, but none of it is working… Maybe we should just stop."

Paul was stunned. She had just completely unloaded on him, telling him all of her problems. They hadn't made sense, but she had needed to get it all out.

Although… telling him he wasn't trying to help fix their relationship? That struck a nerve.

She didn't understand how he had been helping Gary to help them. It took every ounce of strength for him not to yell at her. He didn't want that, and it would help no one.

"You don't think I am trying to fix this?"

"Well, what are you doing? Giving stupid advice that doesn't make sense to people we barely even know!"

"How's that different to you helping that red head chick? Or Leaf? Or May? You can't play Wonder Woman, Dawn! You can't fix everything, as much as you try to make everyone else think you are this perfect person."

To his shock, it was Dawn who began the yelling, "Fine! I'll just stop caring! I'm done. I'll send you some papers on Monday."

Maybe he had gone too far.

She turned around and stormed out the door, slamming it shut as she went.

Paul was going to run after her. He was so close to doing it.

But something held him back.

He was Paul. He was right. She was in the wrong. She was the one who spent twenty thousand dollars on a bar.

But papers?

Was Dawn going to file for divorce?

_**Pokémon**_

It was a coincidence really. May and Drew were both buying lunch at the same diner at the same time.

He didn't notice her though. She noticed him.

And now she was determined to get some answers out of him.

As he left, May called out to him, "Drew!"

She saw him turn, and freeze. He then hurried out the door. Grabbing her food, she raced after him, managing to catch him on the corner. He was still trying to get away, so the pair hurried down the street.

"What the hell, Drew?"

"Go away, May."

"So you're not even going to say you're sorry?"

"I'm sorry."

"Well it doesn't mean much now. I asked you to say it."

"Technically, you didn't ask."

"Don't change the subject, Drew!"

She spun him around. Surprised by the grip she had, Drew stopped walking and turned easily.

"What do you want, May?"

"Why did you throw me out?"

"You burnt the food."

"Bull. You don't throw someone out because they can't cook."

"Shows what you know, _airhead._"

There. There was that name again.

But May could counter it now.

"Your _airhead_ has figured out there is only one of two reasons her life is a mess right now. And it's not Option A so Option B must be it. Do you want to know what that is, _grasshead_?"

"My airhead?"

"Yes, your airhead. You're the only person that calls me that. I can't be anyone else's."

"Why do you have to be someone's property? I thought someone like you would be able to stand on their own two feet by now, not have to go running off and finding another man to help you."

May glared at him. "I'm not anyone's property. And living with Gary when you kicked me out? You think that was running off to another man? Curse you, Drew. There's something you're not telling me, and I will find out what it is. And when I do, you will wish you had told me. My wrath will be greater than anything you have ever seen before."

"Not just full of air, full of hot air. Why do you think I did anything?"

May was fuming now. So much for trying to get him to tell her what happened.

"Because I know I haven't done anything. Whatever happened it was your own fault."

She saw Drew flinch. He began breathing heavily. "What happened was not my fault, and don't you dare try to say it was. You don't know anything, May! Don't assume you do."

May could see the tears in his eyes. His face was very red.

"What was Option A that is so impossible it couldn't be so?" Drew knew he was just stalling for time. He hoped to push her over the edge so she would leave him alone.

"I liked you."

She turned and left him standing there alone.

He sighed. She was gone. Finally.

Then the words she had said sank in.

May liked him?

But he had been terrible to her.

He shook his head. Obviously she didn't like him now. But she had.

_Why? Oh, God. His stupid pride had twisted and bent that into hate._

_He could have trusted her. He could have. Now he knew that._

_But that ship had sailed. _

And now…

She thought he had done something bad, something wrong that had a bad effect on him. She seriously thought that was why he had kicked her out.

She was way off.

_But, how was she to know?_

She could have actually done some research instead of assuming everything.

_You kept your personal life separate._

That wasn't his fault.

It was like there was an angel and a devil sitting on his shoulders, fighting their hearts out.

Drew sighed, he knew which was going to win.

She had no right to think what she did.

_But…_

_Did that mean she still cared for him? In a little way?_

_Would she try to help fix him, if she knew?_

Drew ran the rest of the way to his house. He slammed the door and put on some music. He just wanted to escape it all. He sat down on the couch, his head in his hands, and screamed into them.

It was a slim chance. No doubt she would just leave him be, and then yell at him for not telling her.

They had lived together for two years. Saw each other every day.

He didn't know how he would cope not seeing her that often for the next two years.

He didn't want to think about a life like that.

How had he screwed up so badly?

If only he hadn't tempted her rage. She had come to find out what was wrong, not to get into an argument.

He had wanted that.

He was the only one to blame.

_**Pokémon**_

Gary arrived at the bar to the sound of Leaf already playing. That was okay. He would wait until she took a break.

There were only two other familiar faces in the bar that night. Dawn and May.

He sat down at the bar and ordered his drink, and just listened to her play. After a few songs, he felt a pair of eyes on him and he looked up to see Leaf looking at him. She gave a small smile, and began to play.

Gary meanwhile, mentally prepped himself for what he was going to say to her.

Cheat… princess… coward. They all sounded like good words.

_It's a shame that it had to be this way  
It's not enough to say I'm sorry  
It's not enough to say I'm sorry_

Gary had been looking at his drink. Now he looked up at Leaf.

She was still looking at him. Her face was hollow. There were large bags under her eyes, and she was crying.

He got the feeling she had wrote this song for him, especially for this occasion.

In the little that he had heard, this was about today.

Maybe she was trying to tell him something.

Something that he was missing.

He felt more than saw Dawn come over to him.

_Maybe I'm to blame  
Or maybe we're the same  
But either way I can't breathe  
Either way I can't breathe_

"She didn't come today, did she?"

Gary glanced at the bluenette. She was gazing at Leaf, entranced by her performance.

He swallowed, before replying, "No."

This was what Leaf was trying to tell him. There was a reason she did not come today, but it was not what he had thought.

But… that couldn't be right. She had wanted to come. She should have come.

Every night she begged of him to see her.

"Do you have any idea why?"

Gary shook his head. "I'm hoping to find out."

_All I had to say is goodbye  
We're better off this way  
We're better off this way_

Wait.

What was she saying?

He looked at her again. Her eyes were closed, and she wasn't going to open them for a while. It was the only thing that was stopping more tears from slipping out.

She could not be saying she wanted to break up with him.

That made no sense.

He looked over at Dawn, but she looked just as confused as he was.

"Just listen," was all she said.

Gary was frantic. He had these emotions running through his head. Everything he had thought was changing now.

_I'm alive but I'm losing all my drive  
Cause everything we've been through  
And everything about you  
Seemed to be a lie  
A guiltless twisted lie  
It made me learn to hate you  
Or hate myself for letting it pass by_

"I think…"

"You think what, Dawn? Help me." His eyes pleaded with hers, and she nodded.

"You know how she felt guilty?"

"Yeah? That's why I gave her the note."

"She didn't turn up today."

"No. I already told you that, Dawn." Gary was annoyed. She wasn't helping if she was only repeating things he had already told her.

"What did you think when she didn't turn up?"

"I thought…" That was the moment he understood. At least, a little bit. "I thought she just wanted me to run after her, like she didn't want to do any hard work to help fix it."

Dawn paused. Why did that sound familiar to her?

"She guessed all of that, didn't she?" Gary's voice was barely a whisper. He was staring at the counter, and Dawn reached out a hand to his shoulder.

"That was the bravest thing she has ever done."

When Gary didn't respond, Dawn continued, "Gary," her voice was solid, yet quiet as well. She was very serious. "She sacrificed your relationship. You wanted closure. I think she guessed everything about how your brain worked. She's giving you closure."

_All I had to say is goodbye  
We're better off this way  
We're better off this way  
All I had to say is goodbye  
We're better off this way  
We're better off this way_

"She didn't give me the chance to forgive her."

"She thought what she did was too bad for your forgiveness. You're the most important person to her. It was completely selfless what she did when she stood you up."

Gary remained quiet.

He could not take his eyes off of Leaf.

She wanted to give him the opportunity to find love with a girl who would treat him right.

She guessed his every thought process.

She knew he would come tonight, ready to break up with her.

She knew this because she guessed he would have been angry at her for not showing up after her begging for him to come back.

The whole thing was planned out.

_And every, everything isn't only  
What it seemed so hold these  
Words that you never told me  
Its time to say goodbye  
Its time to say goodbye  
Its time to say goodbye  
Goodbye_

Gary stood.

She had given him closure.

He didn't need to hear the rest of her song.

Now he could get on with his life.

They ended on good terms.

He went to the door and leaned against it, shutting his eyes, breathing in a deep breath.

"Goodbye, Leaf. I love you."

As he left, he was reminded of Leaf's favourite musical. Les Mis. Leaf was Eponine. He was sure of it. She was giving him the chance to find his Cosette.

_Bye_

He left, missing her open her eyes on his back as he left.

He missed the smile on her face as the door shut behind him.

_Take my hand away  
Spell it out  
Tell me I was wrong  
Tell me I was wrong_

May watched Gary leave.

It was sad; seeing two people who loved each other as much as these two did break up like this.

It was all ruined by one mistake.

One lousy mistake.

Leaf was crying.

May was crying.

Glancing at her, May saw Dawn crying.

_Take my hand away  
Spell it out  
Tell me I was wrong  
Tell me I was wrong_

No one would ever tell Leaf that she was wrong.

She was entirely right.

There was no room for doubt.

May and Dawn looked at each other.

They had both said goodbye to their loves today as well.

But they knew, even if it seemed like it was completely screwed up, things could still be fixed. Leaf was giving them that.

Dawn knew there was no way she could divorce Paul. She loved him too much for that. He loved her too.

And May knew that Drew didn't really mean all the things he had said to her. She would find out what was wrong.

The mistakes that tore Leaf and Gary apart would not do the same to them.

_Take my hand away  
Spell it out  
Tell me I was wrong  
Tell me I was wrong_

_**Pokémon**_

**Done! Happy New Year everyone!**

**I meant for this chapter to be happy, but it turned out really, really sad. The only happy ones were Misty and Ash :( And even they were a bit sad. **

**It was so fun writing this chapter though. I especially enjoyed writing Detective May. Inspired by May's Expeditions. I miss her so much in the anime haha. And the Les Mis reference. I have been to see it twice over the holidays, and I have loved it. I definitely recommend it to all of you!**

**I worked so hard to get this up for you guys, as a thank you for reviewing and alerting and favouriting. So it would be a nice, quick update for you all, because you all mean that much to me. **

**And I apologize for the last chapter. A lot of you liked it but I didn't read through it before I uploaded it and there were so many grammar issues and missing words. Gah! I was appalled. So I made sure to read through this one. I hope it is okay. :)**

_**Replies to Reviews**_

_XSilverChanX – _Haha. You forgive May so you move on to killing Paul? I'll see what character you decide to kill now. There are quite a few options in this chapter. I love Blake. He's my first main OC, besides Mr Pitchman, but he's not going to come back any more. I have big plans for him and Misty. I don't think you will like me haha.

_ShadowAbsol13 – _Aww thank you. I love bringing joy to other people. It really makes my day when people say stuff like that. Thank you from the bottom of my heart.

_Leafeonchick03 – _Oh good. Thank you. I was so worried. I'm always worried when I write any character though, so thank you for commenting on him. :)

_KittyKatLovesBooks – _That was my main aim, to make it different. I'm not a fan of cliché things, although some things have to be cliché. I am going to hate that when I'm writing the ending. There is no such thing as a non cliché happy ending. I know! I hate it when characters actually have depth. Then you have to think when you write and you can't just write nonsense :( Haha. I apologize in advance for your rant at how I broke up Gary and Leaf. My bad.

_TheScoutFinch – _I'm sorry. I did mean for there to be ContestShipping in this chapter, but I needed to have their fight. It was important to give May her incentive to find out what's wrong. It's coming, I promise!

_MudkipLover33 – _Yeah… Up for them… That didn't go so well. Thanks for your review :)

_Ka-tay's mind – _No worries. Here is your update :) I'm glad that you think there is a lot of different lives in this. I tried not to make them the same.

_LeafxGreenx3 – _Sooo… Great conversation. I'm sorry! Haha. I can tell you were looking forward to it so much. I thought it was confusing as I was writing to explain why they haven't talked especially when I built up to it so much, so I hope it makes sense. Haha, I just realised I have basically done everything you asked me not do in your review. You must hate me. At least Ash and Misty were happy! I think Dawn may have had an influence on Paul's behaviour haha. I am planning lots more Dawn and Leaf interaction for the next few chapters, so look forward to that.

_XXPay4XtraShippingsXX – _Thanks for the review! Yes, I love happy, sweet things haha. I hated writing this chapter.

_TheFanFicCritic – _I like TwinLeafShipping as well! I just like Ikari more haha. I am quite open to all shippings as long as they are written well. Thanks for the review :) Here's a quick update for you.

**And that wraps it all up. Thanks for all your continued support guys. It really does make me enjoy writing when I know it is being appreciated. Good luck for 2013!**


	8. Chapter 8

**I feel so bad, I just couldn't start this one. I had no idea where to start after last chapter. I want all of them to be happy :(**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Pokémon or the song, 'Your Call'.**

**Chapter 8 – Your Call**

"Leaf, sweetie, are you okay?"

Dawn ran up to the woman. Leaf was sitting on the stage, red in the face, absently plucking at the strings of her guitar. She cursed. When Leaf showed no sign of recognising her, she ran and poured a glass of water, forcing Leaf to swallow the cool drink.

It was hard at first, the dryness of Leaf's mouth and throat making it difficult for her to swallow.

"Have you been here all night?"

Leaf gave a small nod, but made no notion to talk. Again, Dawn cursed. She knew she shouldn't have left May to lock up. The locks were rusted, and hard to lock properly. Leaf could easily have come back in when she had left.

"Why didn't you go home?"

Leaf shook her head, new tears welling up in her eyes.

"No, Leaf. You are not allowed to cry."

The brunette looked at her, startled. She had never seen Dawn forceful before.

"You have been here all night, wallowing in self-pity. You may not like it, but you have to accept what is going on. They were all your choices. Gary was going to give you a chance, and you did the best thing for your relationship by breaking it off. The truth hurts, but it is better than lying."

Inwardly, Dawn winced. She was such a hypocrite. Telling Leaf not to lie, and then lying to Paul.

"Now, I am going to get you another glass of water. You are going to drink it all, and then have another one. I'm not going to let you get sick by crying and dehydrating yourself. It sounds harsh, but this is the best thing for you at the moment."

Nodding to herself, Dawn went and fetched Leaf another two glasses, and watched as she drank them both. When she had finished, Dawn and Leaf left to go to Leaf's apartment, so that she could make herself look respectable again.

Dawn had thought Leaf would be okay now that she and Gary were officially separated. It had been a foolish thought.

Looking around the room, Dawn saw pictures of Gary and Leaf together, sometimes Ash was there as well. She was reminded of herself and Paul as she looked at them. They had been so happy.

"Maybe if you distracted me, you would do a lot better."

Dawn jumped. She looked up and saw Leaf, now dressed in a body hugging white dress with three quarter sleeves, and black woollen stockings. Her hair was wet, and hung loosely over her shoulders, and a green scarf was wrapped around her neck.

She looked like a fallen angel. No more wings to fly.

Dawn imagined that by now, she probably looked similar.

"What do you mean, distract you?"

The corner of Leaf's mouth twitched, and she sat down opposite Dawn.

"I'm not the only one who is struggling at the moment. Let me help you."

Dawn frowned. "I never asked for your help."

"I didn't ask for yours either. You did it anyway."

Dawn looked down at the table. That was true. But that didn't mean she wanted any help.

"So, are you feeling better now?" Dawn asked instead.

"No, but I will be. You're making me."

Dawn smiled. That sounded like her.

It was quiet, until Leaf spoke again, "Even the smallest act of caring for another person is like a drop of water -it will make ripples throughout the entire pond..."

"Jessy and Bruan Matteo?"

Leaf laughed. It was a beautiful sound. "Sometimes, I like to look up random quotes so that I'll have something to say whenever I, or someone else needs something and I don't know what to say."

"How about this one then. Non nobis solum nati sumus."

"Too easy. Marcus Tullius Cicero. Not for ourselves alone are we born."

"Fine." Dawn nodded. "You've convinced me. Help me, please."

_**Pokémon**_

"I'm coming!" Paul yelled. The banging on his door was getting increasingly heavier the longer Paul waited to answer it. At first, he thought the person might go away if he ignored them for long enough. No such luck though.

Opening it, he was surprised to see Gary there.

"About time you answered," Gary grunted, shoving past Paul.

"I didn't say you could come in."

"You would have, though."

Paul shook his head. Gary was very sure of himself.

"Fine. Pull up a chair, put your feet up. Would you like a drink, tea, coffee, water? Anything else you may need."

"Coffee would be great, thanks."

Paul shook his head again. "I was being pleasant."

"Oh… Could you get me one anyway? I've had a rough night."

Now that Paul looked at him, he could see that Gary obviously hadn't slept much.

"Sure."

Whatever Gary had come for, it was important. Paul couldn't even remember giving him his address.

"So, what's up?"

"Leaf didn't show."

"Damn. That's rough."

"No kidding. I need to get out. Hook up with a chick. You know someone who could help me?"

Paul started. "What? You're going to go bang some chick you don't know just because Leaf was a no show."

"Sure. Dawn told me to."

Paul froze at the mention of his wife, but he quickly recovered.

"Gary, Dawn did not tell you to do that."

"She said that Leaf gave me closure, so I could find someone else."

"That doesn't mean you get with the next hot chick you see."

"I don't get how you could be with the same woman for seven years. Where's the excitement in that? It's just the same person day in day out."

Paul handed Gary a coffee, sitting down opposite him at the kitchen bench.

"I don't get you. I don't like getting people. Listen to me. Two days ago, you said you loved Leaf completely. Today, you act like she wasn't important to you at all."

"She said goodbye to me."

"Feelings can't just disappear that quickly. Unless they were absolutely fake feelings."

"What if that was exactly what they were?"

"Don't toy with me, Oak." Paul glared at him. He had no idea what had happened yesterday, but it was obvious Gary was not taking it well.

That was when Gary's composure crumpled. He held his mug in both hands, looking into it. He was still fighting to keep his face blank, but Paul could see the water forming in the corners of his eyes.

Paul's voice softened, "Gary, you changed your entire life for her. You're allowed to be upset."

"But I'm not. She tried to give me closure, but it hasn't worked out that way at all." Gary looked back up at Paul. "Now all I want is to have her back and I can't. Last night proved to me that she truly did regret what she did."

Paul remained silent. He had no idea how to handle this. He had no idea how Gary had come to respect him so much.

"Maybe, what you need, what you both need, is a little space."

"I don't-"

"It doesn't matter that you don't want it. You're feeling all these things at the moment, and all your feelings are getting messed up. You need time to sort that out."

They both remained silent for a time; occasionally Gary would take a sip of his drink.

"Thanks, Paul."

"It's fine. You can't deal with these things on your own."

"So why are you trying to with Dawn?"

Paul hesitated, a mistake. Gary took the advantage.

"You're helping me with my issues. I could help you with yours."

"I don't need anyone's help."

"Right. That's why your wife is currently not living with you."

"This doesn't concern you, Gary."

"If it happens to one of my friends then yes, it does concern me."

Paul glared at Gary once again. He really hated this relationship he had with him. Paul was not used to talking to people, being 'friends' with them. It was a new experience. He wasn't sure how to act.

"And I'm going to help you whether you like it or not," Gary continued. "You just have to tell me what's going on first."

Paul sighed, giving in. He really did want this all to be over.

"Well, last I heard, she was going to divorce me."

_**Pokémon**_

"I have to go to work now, Dawn."

"You have another job?"

"Yeah, at the orphanage. I volunteer there."

"Aw, children. Can I come?"

Leaf shrugged, pulling on her coat. "If you want. I don't know how much they'll let you do if you just turn up though."

"No need to worry, I'll find something to do."

It was the truth, Dawn did like children, but she still didn't want to leave Leaf by herself. They had been talking all morning. About random things, but also about Paul and Gary, men in general, working, the usual type of conversations.

It had helped, more than Dawn thought it would. Leaf asked questions about her relationship that Dawn hadn't thought about before, giving her a new perspective.

In fact, Dawn could see that the thing that had helped Leaf the most that morning was helping Dawn. And they had made progress.

Dawn had decided it was not an option to divorce Paul. She loved him too much for that. There had to be some way to sort out their issues.

"I think it's good you bought the bar. You're a much better boss anyway," said Leaf.

"I should have talked to Paul first."

"Maybe it's better you didn't. Now he knows you can be independent."

But it was a really big decision-"

"So? You're telling me he has never made a big decision by himself? Not once? He makes all his work decisions. They're pretty big decisions. This is just a work decision for you."

"That involves spending a lot of money?"

"I remember you telling me this morning that it was because of Paul you ended up here in Snowpoint. Didn't you have a life in Sunnyshore?"

"Well, yeah. I guess."

"Ha. Then this is the same as that. Besides, look at how much the service has already picked up since you have begun fixing up the bar. This will turn out for the better. We're here."

'Here' was the orphanage. Dawn could see the little children through the window.

"They're so cute."

"Really? I always thought they were annoying little br- Hey Tati!"

Dawn smiled. A little girl had just run up to them. She obviously loved Leaf, and Dawn could see through the smile on Leaf's face. It was true, she really didn't like kids.

"Why do you work here?" Dawn had to be careful with her questions, it would not be good if Tati heard Leaf didn't like them.

"Originally for the discounted rent." She set Tati on the ground. "Then it just became habit seeing these kids every day. I missed them on my days off."

"But you said you didn't…" Dawn trailed off, waiting for Tati to run off with some other kids.

"They like me. No matter what mistakes I make. They don't judge."

"I've always wanted a kid. Paul doesn't like children though."

"He doesn't seem like the loving, nurturing father type," Leaf agreed.

"Actually, I think he could be a great father. He'd just have to get used to it."

"Well, I don't mean to play favourites, but Tati would be a great daughter. If I had to pick one." She added.

"I've never seen this side of you, Leaf. You always seem to have this thick shell around you. It's hard to crack."

Leaf didn't respond. Instead, she went to play with the children, leaving Dawn by herself.

_**Pokémon**_

It had certainly been a hectic day. May had spent the entirety of it trying to figure out ways through which she could find out what was going on in Drew's head.

At the end of the day, she had nothing.

"Agh!" she cried. Scrunching up the paper she had been writing on, she aimed and threw, smiling slightly when it landed perfectly in the bin.

_Simple things amuse simple minds. _

May could not stop thinking about him. As much as she tried, which wasn't much, her days now seem preoccupied with sorting out her relationship with Drew and little else.

She had contemplated that she could just move on. Get on with her life. But that didn't seem like an option.

Drew was too important.

They had grown extremely close during their time living together, and as she had confessed to him just yesterday, she had liked him.

If she was honest with herself, she still did.

Stretching, she rose and left the apartment. Walking always helped her think. May loved to explore and travel so much more than remain couped up in one place at a time. Her dream job would be one where she could travel. Sure, the bar gave her the money she needed, but it could be a bit dull.

Just as she arrived at the park, she stopped. Drew was sitting there, talking to a red haired woman. Misty, maybe? May had seen her at the bar, but hadn't spoken to her.

Quickly, she ducked behind a tree, peering around it cautiously, trying to make out the words that they were saying. Her efforts were in vain. Nonetheless, she remained, ready to catch Misty when Drew left. Drew had never mentioned her before, and May was going to find out her she knew him.

_**Pokémon**_

"Drew!"

He had been in the park, sitting at a bench when he heard the voice. It was Misty, jogging along.

"Hi," he mumbled to the ground. To be honest, he was embarrassed at how he had asked her for help a few days earlier. He was glad she had accepted the task, but he should not have forced it upon her like he did.

"What's wrong?" Misty asked, sitting beside him.

"Nothing, it's fine." Drew managed to make his voice louder, and more confident. "Just, you know, tired."

"I'm leaving tomorrow for Jubilife. I thought you could tell me a little about what I'm actually looking for."

"You don't have to do that, you know."

"Why would you say that? Do you think I'm some heartless person who doesn't care about other people?"

"No," Drew corrected her quickly. "But you have more important things to think about, is all."

"You're the only one that asked for help though. I'm just a volunteer, I know I don't have to do anything if I don't want to. Now, are you going to tell me who I'm looking for, or not?"

Drew looked up to the sky, picturing his family's faces. When he saw them he smiled.

"First there's my sister. When she married, her name became Elizabeth Jacobs. Her husband is Will. They had two children, a girl and a boy. But, you should just ask about Jacobs. That will be easier for you. I really don't mean to be a hassle."

"Stop," Misty commanded firmly. "You are not a hassle. This is why I'm doing this – to help find people who are missing."

"Thanks, Misty."

She smiled. "I should probably get going now. I have a date to get ready for."

Drew nodded to her, and she got up and ran away.

_**Pokémon**_

Misty didn't make it very far though. Shortly after leaving the park, she was joined by May.

"Hey, wait up!" May called.

Misty looked over her shoulder, and noticed the brunette running slightly behind her. She slowed to a fast walk, allowing her to catch up.

"Can I help you?" she asked.

"I saw you talking to Drew." May said.

"Who are you? What's that got to do with me?"

"I'm May, I lived with Drew for a bit. I work at the bar, I see you in there sometimes."

Misty nodded as she recognised the face.

"What's this got to do with Drew then?"

"Why were you talking to him?"

"I'm allowed to talk to people if I want to."

"What were you talking about?"

"Is that really anything to do with you?" Misty stopped. This girl was really quite nosy. "If Drew doesn't want you to know about things, maybe you shouldn't worry about them."

"They're important though," May insisted. "I really need to find out."

"Why?" Misty shot back.

"I…" May trailed off. Clearly Misty had no interest in telling her.

"If you want to find out why Drew is talking to me, ask him yourself. Don't go up to random people on the street and expect them to tell you about private conversations."

"It's not so simple as that though, Drew won't talk to me."

"Well isn't that a pickle then. I'm sorry, I really have to go."

Misty left May alone, glaring at her retreating figure. Misty didn't understand a thing. May would find out what was going on, and when she wanted something, she would get it.

This was just a minor setback. Maybe Misty had been right. It would be weird if some random stranger had gone up to May and asked her private questions.

But there was always more than one way to solve a problem.

_**Pokémon**_

Ash arrived at the bar that night as nervous as he had ever been. He had not spoken to Misty all day, and couldn't wait to see her, but at the same time, he was scared at what she might think of his song.

He had already nearly called Leaf four times to tell her to can it, but he and she had put far too much effort into it – and she would probably play it anyway still.

Leaf was already on, singing. She was on the lookout for Misty to enter the bar. They had arranged that once she had arrived, Ash would talk to her for a bit, and then Leaf would play the song. She wouldn't announce it or anything, because Misty didn't like to be put in the spotlight.

Speaking of which, Misty had just walked through the door. Ash smiled and called her over.

She looked gorgeous. It was like they were on their first date again. Misty had let her hair out, and pinned it across her shoulder. She wore a galaxy print dress, with a v-neckline and pleated skirt. Around her neck was the necklace Ash had bought her for their one year anniversary – a silver shooting star.

"Quit staring at me, Ash." Misty was looking at ground, embarrassed. Technically, Ash hadn't told her to dress up, but since she was leaving, she wanted him to remember her.

"Sorry. You look beautiful, Mist."

Misty giggled and leant up to him and kissed him. "So, how's this date going to work then?"

"There's something I want to show you."

"Oh?"

"Yeah. Here, sorry, sit down." He hastily grabbed a chair, knocking over another one in the process.

"I got it." Misty bent down and picked it up, leaving Ash with an embarrassed blush on his face.

"So, why are you so uptight tonight?"

"Well, you see. I've been working on something, and I wanted you to hear it before you left, as, like, a going away present, and a promise. But now I'm really worried about it."

"What did you do Ash?" Misty asked, curious.

Then Leaf started to play. Misty saw Ash look at her, and the nervousness on his face was apparent.

"Oh, Ash."

_Waiting for your call, I'm sick, call I'm angry  
call I'm desperate for your voice  
Listening to the song we used to sing  
In the car, do you remember  
Butterfly, Early Summer  
It's playing on repeat, Just like when we would meet  
Like when we would meet _

Misty was mesmerized. Ash had really done this for her. She could tell. These were Ash's words.

No boy had ever done this for her before. She looked at him. He was looking down at the table, not daring to look at her. She smiled and placed a hand on his. Looking up, he saw the look on her face, and returned the smile.

"You didn't have to, you know."

"I wanted to. You're just too special to me, Mist."

Tears were welling up in her eyes. She would be a wreck by the end of the song.

"I'm not going to want to leave if you keep being this cute."

Ash had a shocked look on his face. "Mist, no. Don't think that. You have to go."

"Well, fine. Since you want to get rid of me,"

"No, don't think that." His face looked panicked now.

She laughed, "Relax, Ash."

She saw his face soften when he realised she had been joking. "Don't scare me like that."

"Who else is going to?"

_Cause I was born to tell you I love you  
and I am torn to do what I have to, to make you mine  
Stay with me tonight _

"I really do, Mist. I love you so much."

"I love you too, Ash. I'm not going to be going anywhere. It's only two weeks. Then I'll be back. And we'll work out what's going to happen next, together."

"I'd like that, Mist."

"There's not anyone else I want to be with."

"I know."

"Do you really?"

Ash hesitated before answering, which Misty noticed.

"You could have any guy you wanted, Misty. I'm sure in Jubilife there will be lots of guys running after you."

"I don't want any of those guys running after me. Do you know the real story of how we started dating?"

"There's not much of a story, is there? I asked you out and by some chance of luck you agreed to a date."

Misty snorted. "There's so much more to it than that, to me anyway."

_Stripped and polished, I am new, I am fresh  
I am feeling so ambitious, you and me, flesh to flesh  
Cause every breath that you will take  
when you are sitting next to me  
will bring life into my deepest hopes, What's your fantasy?  
(What's your, what's your, what's your...)_

"I had a crush on you, for so long, Ash. No one could understand it. But there was something in you, a determination, optimism that I really liked. But you weren't full of yourself like all those other guys. I could tell when you asked me out, that it was taking all your courage to do it. I didn't have that courage. I really would have asked you out, but everyone else told me not to. You didn't let yourself be swayed by those people. That's why I love you. Because you show that every day. Even now."

"I was so afraid when you said you wanted to take a break. I thank whoever it is up there, every day, that I had you and Leaf and Gary, who helped me to understand why you left. So that I could change."

"You didn't change though Ash."

Now Ash had a confused look on his face.

"I don't want to change anything about you. All you did was understand. And that's the key to any relationship. That's why I know I can go now."

_Cause I was born to tell you I love you  
and I am torn to do what I have to, to make you mine  
Stay with me tonight _

"You are a truly amazing, wonderful, gifted, beautiful, energetic woman."

"Thanks, Ash. You know, I remember everyone thinking you were this dense little kid. No maturity, obsessed with animals. I think you proved them all wrong today."

"I wanted to write this song for you, so that you can know I'll always be here for you."

"I know you will be, Ash."

"Do you think, maybe, someday, we could be married?"

Misty froze. Her heart began to pound and she could feel the blood rush around in her head.

"Are you… proposing to me, Ash?"

"No!" Ash shook his head violently, and Misty breathed a sigh of relief. She felt her heart rate return to normal.

"Don't scare me like that, got it."

"Who else is going to?" he asked, echoing her words. He paused, then started again, "Just, do you see it happening, with me?"

"I think," Misty began, "that any woman would be stupid not to want to marry you someday. Maybe not until we sort out a few things though."

"Right," Ash nodded his head.

_And I'm tired of being all alone, and this solitary moment makes me want to come back home_

_I know everything you wanted isn't anything you have _

_And I'm tired of being all alone, and this solitary moment makes me want to come back home  
I know everything you wanted isn't anything you have_

The pair sat in silence, just looking at each other. They both knew that everything was going to be okay.

"So, how did you get Leaf to help you?"

"I knew her in high school. With Gary."

"The spiky haired brunette?"

"Yeah, that's him. He and Leaf were going out, for a while too. He used to be this big playboy in school. Then he moved up here, and I don't know. He didn't change, but he just stopped. I've always thought he like Leaf, since she was the only girl who didn't like him. And he was the playboy to try and make her jealous, but it didn't work."

"She cheated on him, didn't she?"

"Yeah, now they're officially broken up. She told him last night – I was talking to him earlier. He doesn't understand."

"Poor thing."

"Which one?"

"Both. It killed me to do this to you. They need some help."

"You think they'll get back together?"

"Of course." Misty nodded her head firmly. "If he did that for her, then he loves her. If she loved him despite him being a playboy, she definitely loves him. And really, that's all that matters."

"I'll let him know."

_Cause I was born to tell you I love you  
and I am torn to do what I have to, to make you mine  
Stay with me tonight _

"I love you, Misty."

"You can stop saying that, Ash."

"I don't want to."

"Silly boy."

"You love me."

"I do."

She leant over and kissed him.

"I have to go. Early night, you know. Will you meet me at the airport in the morning?"

"I'll pick you up from your place. Drive you there. Anything else you may need, I'll do it."

"Anyone would think you were being clingy."

"Do you think I'm being clingy?"

Misty stood and embraced him again.

"No."

_Cause I was born to tell you I love you  
and I am torn to do what I have to, to make you mine  
Stay with me tonight _

Misty felt eyes on her, and she looked at the stage. There was Leaf, looking at her.

And she was smiling.

_**Pokémon**_

They were at the airport.

Ash was pulling Misty's suitcase through the check in area, his goofy grin frozen on his face. Misty walked beside him proudly, maintaining a firm grip on his free hand as they went. The flight would leave in an hour, and they wanted to stay together until she boarded the plane.

"Misty! Wait up!"

She turned and saw Blake, nearly running to catch up with her.

"Hey there." Misty dropped her hold of Ash's hand in order to embrace Blake. "Ash, this is my friend, Blake. He's coming to Jubilife with me. Blake, this is Ash."

"Her boyfriend." Ash added sharply. Misty didn't notice the tone though, now asking Blake questions about their upcoming trip.

As they continued towards the terminal, Ash dropped behind Misty and Blake. Neither seemed to notice him lagging behind.

It made him feel put out, knowing that Misty could drop him like that… Especially after she had promised not to forget him just last night.

"Ash?"

He was interrupted from his thoughts by Misty's call. Looking up at her, Ash noticed they had arrived at the terminal, and Blake was now standing with the rest of the group.

"What's wrong?" Misty questioned. "Please don't tell me it's about Blake."

"Nah, Mist." Ash lied.

She raised an eyebrow at him. "Sure, I believe that."

Ash shrugged. "Well, he's good looking, you get on with him and you're about to go and spend a month with him in Jubilife."

Misty rolled her eyes. "Ash, did the things I say last night really not mean anything to you? Did you think I just made them up?"

"No, Mist-"

"Ash." She cut him off. Her eyes were fierce, and her she looked a bit annoyed. "I don't say things unless I mean it. I don't tell lies to make people feel better about themselves. You of all people should know that." Now the look had turned to hurt.

Ash moved towards her and embraced her.

After they broke apart, he said, "I know, I'm sorry. I love and trust you."

She looked a bit better after he said that.

"I was just… jealous, I guess."

Misty giggled, "You're kind of cute when you're jealous."

"It's not annoying?"

"That too." Blake called to her from the group, signalling that they had to board the plane now.

"How can it be cute and annoying?"

"It makes me feel good about myself." She smiled. "I have to go now, Ash. I promise I'll call you as soon as I get there."

Ash nodded, and the pair kissed before Misty moved off. She waved to him and boarded the plane.

_**Pokémon**_

**I tried to make this chapter slightly more hopeful than the last one. I'm sorry it was so sad! But, you know, it can only improve from here because that was the lowlight since the story was halfway through, and the only way to go is up. :) **

**What do you think will happen with Drew's family? Do you think they're alive or dead? What do you think is going to happen to Dawn and Paul? Is anything going to happen with Blake and Misty in Jubilife? I am asking because I have no idea haha. Well, no I have a little bit, but I don't want to do the obvious but I don't want to make it too confusing, so your reviews will help that!**

_**Replies to reviews:**_

_XXPay4XtraShippingsXX – _Haha, I love your carefree attitude. Good to know someone doesn't hate me for making it so sad. And no worries, I really like reading everyone's reviews :)

_Leafeonchick03 – _I know! Leafgreenshipping is my favourite, and it killed me to write it like that. :(

_AquaStarlight – _Leaf and Gary will get back together, I promise! I just don't know how it will happen yet, because I need a good reason for it. I'm working on it. I know, they are my OTP as well, I was so sad.

_TheScoutFinch – _I'm sorry I made you cry :( I hate making people cry, so many people have said they were, and I feel terrible haha. Thank you for your words, they help me write the new chapters knowing you people look forward to reading them.

_XWhiteChanX – _Haha, please don't kill them. I need them. There's still a little bit of plot to develop before they all get back together. I have it all planned out now, kinda anyway. I realised after writing this chapter that you will probably hate me for including more Blake. My bad. I hope this was a fast enough update for you :)

_KayJune – _Is this enough Dawn/Leaf for you? :) Thanks for your review. I always get ideas by reading them.

_Cutiepiepo2 – _Haha. I laughed so much reading your review, and I don't even know why. I promise I haven't cut them out, I would hate myself if I did that. Gary's made because he changed for Leaf, and Leaf never cheated on anyone before him. Hope this cleared that up :)

_Gloss Gurl – _Thank you for your love of my story :) It means a lot. Hope you enjoyed this update.

_MudkipLover33 – _I'm trying not to make the chapters as depressing now. I just needed everyone to kind of lose hope, so I could build it back up again :) I hope you liked this chapter.

_Squirtlepokemon215 – _That was the idea. But now I can give them hope again :) I hope you enjoyed this chapter as well.

_Ka-tay's mind – _You didn't think I would end the story on that sadness did you? I hate sad endings, I never understood them. They ruin the whole story if they end up sad. Especially in those novels where someone dies, and the person just suddenly moves on. It's like, what the heck? You loved this person so much, you can't just suddenly move on because they are dead. It does take time. But yeah, sorry for my rant now haha.

_The Ice Sorceress – _I'm sorry I almost made you cry. :( I didn't mean to, honest. Hopefully this chapter is a little bit happier for you.

_LeafxGreenx3 – _I had to leave your reply till last because I felt so terrible, and I had no idea what to say to you. I'm so sorry! I'm sorry I made you cry, especially since it was your first time crying. :( I honestly did not mean to do that to anyone. I feel horrible now haha. I'm glad you liked May's little bit. I really had fun writing it. Next time May and Drew meet, I can guarantee it will not end in a fight, but it might not be good either. So look forward to that. It will be the same with Dawn and Paul as well. I liked writing Misty and Ash together. I had gotten so sad writing the other parts, it was like, no, this has to be happy. Yeah, now I have to come up with a good reason for Leaf and Gary to get back together. I think I have one, which is good to know, but I need to figure out how to work it. All the storylines that don't seem important at the moment will all tie together soon. Just a bit of foreshadowing for you to look forward to now haha. Don't be sorry! I love hearing everyone's thoughts to my story, good or bad, that's how I improve. So instead, thank you!

**I think that's it. School is going back soon, but I'll try and keep updating at least once a month, and then more again on the holidays or when it's not busy. Thanks for all your support guys! 3 **


	9. Chapter 9

**Disclaimer: I do not own Pokémon or the song 'Last Time' by Secondhand Serenade.**

**Chapter 9 – Last Time**

Dawn found herself back at the orphanage for more and more frequently after Leaf first showed her the place. It was only for an hour or so at a time, but she could tell the children loved her. And the paid staff needed all the help they could get.

Occasionally, she ran into Leaf, and her friend, Ash. Dawn had known him by sight only before this meeting. She was thrilled to finally have met Misty's boyfriend. They would discuss all kinds of things, although Leaf and Misty commonly appeared in these conversations.

When all three of them were there, it was wildfire. Dawn and Ash were the most popular amongst the children, and would constantly tell funny stories or play games. Leaf would not tell any stories, or participate in the games, but she made sure that no one was left out.

When the weather was fine, the children would be allowed to visit the park and play there, on the playground or with Frisbees or balls.

"Leaf!"

Leaf jumped and dropped to the ground, hearing the whistle of a Frisbee as it flew passed where her head had just been.

"Sorry, Leaf," Ash said, holding a small girl, about four years of age, in his arms. "I was teaching Lexis how to throw. Her aim's not too good." He grinned easily, and Leaf returned it.

"No worries."

Despite her not caring for children, Leaf enjoyed these days. They were such a pleasant distraction from her everyday life. She had even considered that maybe she liked going to the orphanage now. The children and herself were there for unfortunate circumstances, which was sad, but they did not have to know that.

It was strange, but since she had said goodbye to Gary, she had felt a weight lift off her shoulders. She did miss him, more than anything, but she did not have to worry anymore.

Leaf was distracted from her musings when she noticed Dawn and Ash were gathering the children together to return to the orphanage. She helped them, returned the children, and said goodbye.

Left to her own devices, Leaf remembered one of her many conversations with Dawn. It had been two days after Misty left, and they had been sitting in Leaf's apartment, just finished lunch.

"Let's talk about Gary," Dawn had said.

"There's nothing to talk about anymore," Leaf replied.

"Nonsense. There's always something. And it's been bugging me. I have a theory."

Leaf took Dawn's plate from her, and went to the kitchen to wash up.

"A theory about what? I don't have to say anything, do I?"

Dawn leaned on the counter. "You don't have to say anything. Even if you think you're over Gary, and he thinks he's over you, you're really not. And there's only one thing preventing you two from getting back together."

Leaf rolled her eyes. "I don't want to get back together with him, Dawn."

"Sure you do," Dawn said, unfazed. "And when you realise that, you'll also realise the only reason you're not together yet is because you never admitted to him why you cheated."

"We discussed this. He was home late and I was worried." Leaf's voice was thin. She was gripping the counter now, so hard that her knuckles were turning white.

Despite noticing this, Dawn continued, "You would have to have been worrying a lot more to cheat on him in a single night."

"What do you want me to say, Dawn?" Leaf asked, struggling to keep her voice down. "What do you want? For me to say that I was scared every time he went to work that someone would hit on me and he would flirt back? For me to say that I worried everyday he was going to leave me? For me to say that I was worried I was going to do something so stupid to end it all?" She was yelling now, voice shaking, tears in her eyes.

Dawn watched on calmly. She had crossed a line. She was prone to doing that, but this was important. For her, it was a line that needed to be crossed.

"Now I've done that! I cheated on him. It's over…" Leaf's voice descended into sobs.

Dawn reached out over the counter and hugged the brunette.

"Leaf, if you thought like that, you must have known it was going to fall apart at some point. There was no point in prolonging it. Now you can just move on from it. Start afresh. I think, that if you told Gary what you just told me, and you were meant to be, you could start it all again. He just needs to know."

Leaf mumbled through her tears. Dawn had to strain her ears to hear the barely audible words.

"If I tell Gary, you need to tell Paul. There's more hope for you two than there is for me. Promise me, Dawn, you'll tell Paul. Then you two can work it out."

_**Pokémon**_

Misty had first arrived in Jubilife to a buzzing from her phone of messages. Ash had sent her one, obviously, but what surprised her was that Dawn had sent her one as well. That was sweet of her. Another was from Drew, and the final one from May.

She had not remembered May when she saw her in the park. The woman had changed so much from the thin, frail girl Misty had first met at the bar.

Misty wondered why May cared so much about Drew. Maybe they had some kind of history. She shrugged to herself. That was not her problem.

Her mission was to find Drew's family.

As of yet, she had no idea how she was going to do this. But there had to be a way. People banded together when there was some form of devastation – with a war, people would have clumped together in bomb shelters or houses, fearing for their lives. People also became more talkative when they were afraid.

Two days later, and Misty was no closer to finding any answers, despite all her efforts. She had travelled around the city, working harder than any of the other people in the Rescue Service. Every person she talked to she asked questions, but so far, there had been no such luck.

Three days later, and word had spread about Misty's quest. The Rescue Service was now helping her. They could cover more ground, confront more people. But there was a fine line when asking questions – this city had just been through war – they had to be respectful and comforting to the people they were rescuing.

Five days later, an important event occurred.

_**Pokémon**_

"I just don't understand why he won't talk to me."

"Well, by the sounds of it, you can't speak without fighting. Would you want to talk to you if that was what happened every time?"

May glared at Gary. They were taking a leisurely walk through Snowpoint City. Gary had the day off, and both felt they had earned some relaxation time.

"No, but I wouldn't be being an ass and keeping secrets from a person that cares about me."

Gary frowned. "Do you have any idea what it is yet?"

"No," May sighed. "It has to be something really personal if he is this desperate not to tell me. But that's not even what is bugging me. It's the fact that he won't tell me anything. I thought we were closer than that."

"What if you were able to trap him?"

May laughed, "That would work. Just use a few torture methods and he'd be sure to tell me."

"I didn't mean it like that!" Gary chuckled. "I'm not that mean. I just meant, what if you went to talk to him, and you acted like you knew what was wrong. Then he would admit it to you, because you knew already."

"But wouldn't that be a bit… wrong?" May asked. "Would you ever do that?"

"I have."

"But why? Isn't that, I don't know, an invasion of privacy?"

"And what you're doing isn't?"

"I'm doing it because I care," May huffed.

"And you're saying I didn't?"

They both walked in silence for a few moments. May was thinking about what Gary had said.

Yes, it would be wrong if she tricked Drew into telling her. But what if she could figure out why he was not telling her instead, and used that to her advantage…

"When Leaf didn't turn up, and I came to the bar that night, she had guessed everything I would think. That's what I didn't understand, and why I was so confused about how I felt. I've loved Leaf more than ever after that night, but we can't be together."

May listened in silence. This was leading somewhere, she knew it. She just was not sure how. Gary rarely talked about his feelings like this, so it must be important.

"How much did you like Drew?"

May answered truthfully. If Gary was being honest, so could she. "I liked him a lot. I used to imagine us going on dates and stuff like that. He was so different to someone I would usually go for, just the way he seemed to care about me more than any other guy, even though he had a weird way of showing it."

Gary stopped walking. They were outside the orphanage.

"I think I have a plan. But I need you to trust me," he said.

"The last person I trusted threw me out," May replied, looking at the ground.

"I know. That's why this is going to work. I promise you won't have to trick Drew to do anything. It'll either show that you and Drew should do all those things you wished to do together, or it'll give you closure that it will never happen."

May looked up at Gary. His eyes were serious, and his mouth was in a firm, determined line.

She nodded. "Okay."

_**Pokémon**_

It had been a month since the ceasefire had been announced, and two months since Jubilife City had first been under threat. Survivors of the disaster area were very scarce now, and it pained Misty every time she saw the face of one of the newly found deceased.

Misty was searching through the rubble of a hotel that potentially held beneath it a bomb shelter, on the edge of Jubilife. Blake was with her, as well as a few others from the team – Alyssa and Heath of Sunnyshore City, and Jason from the close Oreburgh City. It was Jason that was leading this expedition. They five were spread out across the area.

"I've got something!" called Alyssa.

'Something' was what looked to be a cellar door. It was a strong, sturdy wood, and the faint stench of rot hung in the air.

"Heath, get the axe," Jason ordered. "Misty, Alyssa, Blake, we need to clear the area."

They worked swiftly, not wasting anytime. Heath came back quickly with the axe, and helped them clear away the door and surrounding ground.

Misty took her usual post by the cellar door.

"Hello? Is anyone there? If you are, I need you to say something."

There was no sound from under the ground. Misty swallowed a sigh.

"I need you to get away from the cellar door. We're going to force our way in."

She stood up and walked a few paces backwards. They waited a few tense moments before Heath began hacking at the door.

This was the hardest part. The waiting. Not knowing if anyone was under that door.

In the days Misty had been here so far, her little team had found no survivors.

They were an odd sort. Jason was the leader, and had a muscly, lean build. He did not look like a leader though. He always spoke in a calm, serious voice though, and knew what he was talking about. Everyone listened to him. Misty thought Alyssa had a little crush on him. She was a tiny thing, and had a tiny voice to match it. She did not look like she had the willpower or nerve to be on the team, but she was very determined. Never was there a more thorough look than one Alyssa had.

Blake and Heath were the strong men. There was nothing special about that. Except Misty was also certain Heath liked Alyssa, as much as she was convinced Alyssa liked Jason. It was quite entertaining to watch. She and Blake often laughed at their ineffective attempts at flirting.

Then there was Misty. She would wait, patiently, where people could possibly be hidden, offering words of support to the non-existent survivors. It was she that would first see the poor, innocent, deceased.

She watched as Heath stopped swinging the axe, and felt the door. He nodded, signalling that the door could be levered up.

"Blake, get the stick. Misty, to the door."

The 'stick' was what they called the large branch of wood used as a lever. It looked more like a plank that a stick though.

Misty knelt by the door. "We're only going to be a few more moments, I promise. Hold tight and get away from the door. We're going to lever it up."

Standing, she exchanged a worried look with Alyssa. Somehow, Misty had become the mother of the group. That was one of the reasons her role was by the door. Apparently, her voice was quite melodic and calming. This had been before Blake had woken her up one morning. Flocks of birds had taken flight from the high decibels.

As the door came away, a cloud of dirt and dust escaped from the hole. The stench of rot and stale air became stronger. Misty held out her torch into the blackness.

Her stomach dropped, as it always did. "We've got people."

_**Pokémon**_

Leaf was late. She was running down the streets of Snowpoint City to get to the bar, carefully keeping a firm grip on her guitar at all times.

Tonight was important. Dawn had promised to talk to Paul. She needed to get there to make sure they talked it out, and everything did not end in an argument.

She reached the bar, and found it unlocked. Dawn must have already arrived. When she walked in, however, it was May that she saw.

"May? What's up?"

"Nothing you need to worry about," May replied. She rearranged the table and chairs back to their original positions, and then went to clean the bar.

"O-kay," Leaf said slowly. Something was up. May kept flitting around everywhere, doing her jobs very quickly. Leaf did not know her that well, but she seemed quite flustered.

"Has Dawn come in yet?" Leaf asked.

May shook her head. "I came here earlier. I'm…" she trailed off, placing her cloth on the counter as she did so.

"Actually, I did need to talk to you Leaf… about Gary."

Leaf tensed, placing her guitar down. She was not yet sure if she liked May. They had not had much interaction, and she was living with Gary.

"Sure. What is it?" Despite this, Leaf was curious. She had not seen Gary since she said goodbye to him, and wanted to hear how he was.

"Well, not just Gary. You see…" May trailed off again.

"Don't keep trailing off," Leaf reprimanded. "Tell me or not."

"It's personal," May huffed.

"So? You were the one who said you wanted to talk. You can't just say that and then not tell me. Otherwise you're just being stupid."

"Hey, I'm not stupid!" May yelled. "I-"

"You're just scared you're going to lose your dignity and pride by pouring out your problems to someone you barely even know."

May froze.

_Pride… dignity…_

May had lost her nerve to tell Leaf her problems, even though she knew that Leaf could probably help her the most. Because she had not wanted to seem needy, weak.

What if Drew was the same?

What if that was why he had not confided in her?

"May?" Leaf's voice had lowered considerably. She ran over to May and shook her.

May gasped and blinked three times.

"Look, I don't care if you don't like me," May began, "but I need your help. Gary said you would be able to."

"With what?" Leaf asked.

"I need to tell you about a guy named Drew."

_**Pokémon**_

Misty took the wet cloth that Alyssa passed her, and descended into the cellar, holding it up to her nose and mouth.

"Five!" she called up to her team. "Not much damage down here. They were closed in."

Jason and Blake had followed her down, and they collected the bodies, passing them up to Heath and Alyssa. Misty continued her hunt around the room. There had been two adults and three children, and she was looking for anything that may aid in identifying the bodies.

There were many books. She picked up a few, checking for a name, but they were empty. There were also art supplies. She followed the trail, eventually coming across a canvas, hidden in a corner. It was too dark to see if it was signed, so she pulled it up.

"Alyssa, I've got something for you!" she yelled.

Misty moved to the light and held it up the blonde.

"Check for a signature. I think one of them might have been an artist."

"There's one here. Carmen Struthers."

"These people don't look related," came Blake's voice. "Two women, one male. Two children – two little boys."

Misty climbed out of the cellar. They had a name. That was what they needed. She sat on her haunches, wiping her brow and taking a sip of water, which Alyssa gave her.

"Struthers… that seems familiar," Heath said. "Hey, Misty. What were the names of the people you were looking for?"

"Jacobs. Elizabeth and Will," she replied, her voice tight.

"This is only a little place. Barely a hotel," Heath continued. "Would it be possible the Struthers owned this place?"

"Might be," Jason answered. "What's your point?"

"Didn't someone say that they had heard the Jacobs were staying at a small hotel on the edge of town?"

The five stopped working. Misty had remembered hearing that as well. She remembered because they had heard barely anything. The lady at the town centre had been one of the only informants. Everyone who came through Jubilife went there first, so she was quite reliable.

"Mrs Stuarts, at the town centre? She said it, didn't she?" Misty asked.

Heath nodded. They all gazed at the bodies. Could it be possible that they had found the Jacobs?

"I need to make a call," Misty said.

_**Pokémon**_

A strange sight it was when Dawn entered the bar that evening. May and Leaf were there, talking casually, like they were the best of friends. Leaf's eyes were completely dry and May had a smile on her face. They both seemed very excited.

Not only that, but quietly sitting in a corner, was Paul.

Looking back at the two women, Dawn realised neither of them appeared to realise that Paul was in the room.

"Ahem?"

May and Leaf both looked up and noticed Dawn. She sent a glare at them, nodding her head towards Paul.

"Honestly, anyone could just walk in and you wouldn't notice. What if they were trying to rob the place? They would do it right under your noses," she scolded.

May stood hurriedly and went back to work. Leaf was looking at Paul closely.

"You're Paul, aren't you? Dawn needs to talk to you."

She then went and unpacked her guitar, ignoring the second glare that Dawn sent her way.

"Good, I wanted to talk to her too," he answered, looking at Dawn.

She sighed to herself. Of course Leaf would make sure she talked to Paul. Of course she would not even give Dawn a chance to say no. Paul had already taken her hand and led her outside.

"So that was Leaf?" he asked.

She nodded.

"Gary's told me a lot about her. She doesn't act like he described her."

"She's happier now than she used to be," Dawn explained. "She's happier now she doesn't have to deal with the guilt."

"Gary wants to get back together with her."

"They still have issues."

"That's what I told him."

Dawn smiled and saw Paul's face soften as she did so. She and Paul actually shared the same views on a lot of things, they were just expressed differently.

"So, why did Leaf say you wanted to talk to me?"

"Because she's mean." Dawn pouted.

Paul ignored her. Instead, he asked his next question, before he could stop the words coming out of his mouth.

"Are you going to file for divorce?"

He shut his eyes. He had sounded so desperate.

Paul adamantly believed he was not desperate. He just did not want to see the love of his life leave him.

Dawn, however, was in shock. She was speechless. Her mouth opened and closed, trying to get words out, but they would not come. Finally, she managed to say something.

"Why would you think I would do that?"

"You said so," Paul mumbled.

The memory came back to Dawn in a rush. Since then she had done a lot of thinking. She had talked to Leaf, Drew, May… She shut her eyes, saying as she did so, "I will never divorce you, I promise. It won't get to that."

"Why not?"

Dawn thought of everything that had happened to her in the past two months.

_Leaving their home…_

_Meeting Misty and Leaf and May…_

_Buying the bar…_

Dawn was a firm believer in everything happened for a reason.

"I would never leave you, because I married you for a reason. We knew what we were getting into when we got married, despite all those people saying it would never work. There's no one else in the entire world that I would want to spend the rest of my life with."

She waited for Paul's answer. Over the past weeks, he had surprised her, not acting like she had thought he would. She guessed that had come with the lack of communication that had resulted in her leaving in the first place.

"You can't expect to leave me to just understand why you have left. If you think something the best thing to do is just tell me. I thought you would know that."

"I did, I do. But I was frustrated, I still am. After we've known each other for so long, you'd think we would be able to understand each other more…" she trailed off. Paul noticed, looking at her for a long time.

He noticed the pain that was on her face; the indecision, the grief, the stress. He reached out and held her close, feeling her relax into his body.

"Well, maybe that's something we just need to work on then. We thought we were invincible in the beginning, and we were, for a time. Then we realised we were married and didn't even have any qualifications or anything. It's been building up for some time. All we wanted to do was make it work."

"And then it screwed up on us," she sniffed.

"It did." He rubbed her back in comforting circles with his hand. "We stopped listening to each other."

"We can't do that. We can't let what happened to Leaf and Gary happen to us."

"We won't," Paul promised, "we'll work on it."

_**Pokémon**_

_I'm stuck with writing songs  
Just to forget  
What they really were about  
And these words are bringing me so deeply insane  
That I don't think I can dig my way out_

May was serving when Drew walked into the bar. She watched out of the corner of her eye, as he sat at one of the tables, facing Leaf. He did not give her a second glance.

"Go serve him, May," Dawn said.

May took the opportunity. It was only when she reached his table, that she realised she had no idea what she was going to say.

"Drew…"

"I'll have a shot of tequila, thanks."

He did not even look at her.

"Uh, um, sure," she stammered. Hurrying back to the bar to get his drink, she cursed herself.

Why could she not figure out something to say?

_I couldn't breathe you in  
Like I need to and the words don't mean a thing_

"May? What's wrong?"

May was still. She was gripping the counter tightly, knuckles white. Dawn reached out and began massaging her them, until May relaxed.

"What's wrong?" she repeated.

"He's here."

"Drew?"

May nodded.

"I thought you wanted to talk to him."

"I do. But I can't think of the right words to say. They all sound wrong. Maybe I shouldn't talk to him."

Dawn frowned. "Now that's silly. You've been winding yourself up about this and now you're not going to take the opportunity."

"I'm no-"

"I know you want to. But you have to be a good friend to Drew. That's either just letting him tell you when he's ready, or he's hurting so bad you should get it out of him. And we both know which one we think is best."

_So I'll sing this song to you  
For the last time  
And my heart is torn in two  
Thinking of days spent without you  
And there is nothing left to prove_

Dawn noticed Paul come up to the bar.

"Excuse me, that green haired man is wondering where his drink is. He also keeps looking over here."

Maybe his attention had not just been on Leaf all evening.

"I'm coming," May whispered. She let go of Dawn and picked up Drew's glass, walking slowly over to him.

"How are they connected?" Paul asked.

"They were living together, then something happened and he threw her out. She's been trying to figure out what it was. She really wants things to go back to how they were."

"She has feelings for him."

"Yeah," Dawn sighed.

_I'm counting all the things I could have done  
To make you see  
That I wanted us to be what I go to sleep and dream of  
I want you to know that I'd die for you  
I'd die for you_

"Here's your drink."

May handed Drew the drink and sat down. She was perched on the edge of the chair, back straight up, hands folded on her lap.

"I don't want to fight with you," May began. "That's the last thing I want."

"Then what do you want?" Drew asked sharply.

"I don't care about what you won't tell me. I don't care anymore. I give up. You can tell me if you want, but I'm not going to force you."

Drew opened his mouth. He wanted to tell her, he really did.

"Do you trust me, Drew?"

He stared down at his drink, refusing to answer. She looked so fragile, sitting there. He did not want to hurt her with his answers.

His answers would be the ones she wanted to hear, but it was the follow up questions he was dreading.

_I couldn't breathe you in  
Like I need to and the words don't mean a thing_

"Drew?"

"May, I'm sorry. Don't make me…"

"Why can't you just answer one question?"

"You'll ask more than one,"

"I promise I won't. Drew, please…"

He sighed, "Yes, I do trust you."

_So I'll sing this song to you  
For the last time  
And my heart is torn in two  
Thinking of the days spent without you  
And there's nothing left to prove_

"Then why-"

"You said you wouldn't ask any more questions."

May stopped herself. It was true, she had said that. She went to stand up, but hesitated. Leaf was still singing, and May could feel her eyes on her. After Leaf had helped her this afternoon, she could not leave it like this.

She sat herself back down, feeling four pairs of eyes on her. Leaf's, Drew's, Dawn's, and Paul's.

"I said I didn't care when you wanted to tell me what is going on, and I don't, but I do care about something else. I still have feelings for you, Drew. That's why I'm doing this. I just need to know."

Drew held his glass. He did not know how to respond to that. And she was waiting for an answer. Why did she have to do this? Make him feel so uncomfortable…

"I…" he trailed off, still refusing to look at her. "May…"

She nodded. "It's okay, I get it."

May went to stand up again. This time, it was Drew who stopped her, with a hand caught on to her wrist.

"You don't, and that's my fault. But…"

_And if you are alone  
Make sure you're not lonely  
Cause if you are, I blame myself  
For never being home  
I know I'm not the only one  
Who will treat you like they should  
What you deserve_

"Then let me in, Drew. I can't keep doing this for you. I've poured out my heart to you, and you can't even form a sentence."

He could hear the frustration in her voice, see it in her eyes. He wished he had some answers for her.

May decided there was only one way to get some form of answer out of him. She leaned forward and kissed him.

At first, there was no reaction. It was like kissing a brick wall. Then, she felt him relax and begin to kiss her back.

It was only short, but it was enough.

He stood up quickly. "I can't do this May. Not now."

She shook her head. "I'll wait."

_I'm stuck with writing songs  
Just to forget_

A small smile made its way onto Drew's face. It should not have been there, but it was.

May still had hope for him.

Despite the fact he had been a jerk to her.

Everything would turn out all right, he just had to have faith.

Faith in himself, faith in May, faith in Misty.

Faith in anything that could make life happier.

_So I'll sing this song to you  
For the last time  
And my heart is torn in two  
Thinking of the days spent without you  
And there's nothing left to prove_

He left without another word.

_**Pokémon**_

**Happy times ahead? There's only five chapters left so things have to improve :) I hope you all liked this chapter, I really enjoyed writing it. I think it was the hardest one to write, especially the Ikari and Contest shipping bits, and there were a lot of them.**

**School's gone back :( But I will still try to update as often as I can. I can't believe it's nearly been 6 months since I first published this. I've had so much fun writing it. I really wanted to thank you all for your reviews and favourites and alerts. They mean so much to me.**

_**Replies to Reviews**_

_Iheartmuusic – _I have full intentions of continuing this story :) I hate it when people leave things unfinished, especially when it's something like this, where you need an ending. I'm glad you like it.

_ShadowAbsol13 – _I'm sorry there wasn't any Pokéshipping in this chapter. I'm got Misty planned to come back in the next chapter or the one after :) I'm super excited.

_Leafeonchick03 – _Thanks for answering my questions. I'm always curious at what people think will happen in my story. I hope you liked this chapter as well :)

_Ka-tay's Mind – _I'm sorry about the song, I don't get how that happened. :/ On the chapter preview thing it worked fine. I'm pretty sure I've said it before, but I like making different people work together. It's fun.

_XWhiteChanX – _Haha, okay, so I hope you don't have to kill anyone then. I thought I should make the Pokéshipping storyline like that because all the others are really heavy, and I agree with you, I definitely think it is the most realistic.

_Mudkiplover33 – _I hope you liked this chapter :) Thanks for your reviews every chapter.

_XXPay4XtraShippingsXX – _Yes, turning points are fun :) This chapter I actually thought was quite happy. I don't know how you guys will think about it though.

_Cutiepiepo2 – _It's coming, I promise. It's all a part of the grand scheme of things. I'm so happy I changed your opinion on sad stories. It won't have a sad ending though, I promise :)

_KittyKatLovesBooks – _I always worry I make the characters too OOC, but then I figure that in the show and manga and the games none of the relationships are there, so they don't really have a character to be in that department. But I'm glad they make sense to you when you read them.

_Louricam The Manga Freak – _Here's the next chapter, nice and quick for you :)

_LeafgreenshippXD – _Thanks for all of your reviews on my other chapters. Every review means a lot to me :)

**That's all. I hope you all enjoyed this. It might be a few more weeks before the next chapter, but it'll come. **

**Keep smiling :)**


	10. Chapter 10

**Disclaimer: I do not own Pokémon or the song 'Stranger' by Secondhand Serenade. **

**Chapter 10 – Stranger**

It was the sound of his answering machine beeping which woke him.

"_This is Misty. I need you to call me back… We've got something."_

Drew froze in his bed. He tried to move but he just couldn't. His heart began thumping wildly in his chest and he began to sweat. The sounds of the city were all drowned out and he became very aware of his bedsheets, tangled up in a mess around him.

Slowly, carefully, he lifted one arm, and then the other, moving into a sitting position. He swung his legs around and stood. So far, so good.

But he could not move any further.

Drew looked in vain at the phone on his desk. It was so close, yet so far away.

He was so close, yet so far away to getting answers.

Why couldn't he bring himself to get them?

_**Pokémon**_

It had been twelve days, six hours and seventeen minutes since she had left him.

There was only one day, seventeen hours and thirty-three minutes until she would return to him.

"Misty…" Ash murmured.

"Who's Misty? Ash?"

He was at the orphanage, and it was little Tatiana who had asked the question.

She looked up at him with quizzical eyes, her head slightly tilted to one side. Ash knelt down beside her, so she wouldn't have to strain her neck.

"Misty is," he began, "one of the most wonderful women I know. She is smart, and funny and full of life."

"Is she pretty?" Tatiana asked.

Ash nodded. "She is gorgeous, and her smile could light up the room."

"Do you love her?"

Ash chuckled, "I do, so much. She's my girlfriend."

"Aw," Tatiana cooed. "Misty and Ash, sitting in a tree. K-I-S-S-I-N-G…"

He laughed, as did she. The poor girl didn't deserve not to have any parents, he thought. He truly hoped someone would adopt her. She deserved a loving family.

_**Pokémon**_

"_Paul, wake up. We have work to do today."_

"Dawn?"

He couldn't believe it. She was standing there, by the foot of their bed, dressed like an angel, as she always was.

"_Come on. We have to fix up the bar. It's busier already, now that Drew has made the outside look a bit more presentable."_

He groaned, but crawled out of bed. "Fine then."

He had his own job, didn't she know he couldn't just take time out to help her with hers?

After having a quick shower, he went out to the kitchen. If things were really back to normal, as they had appeared to be so far this morning, she would have made him breakfast.

Upon entering the kitchen, however, there was no sight of Dawn.

In fact, there was no sign that Dawn had even been in their house. He checked the front door, and it was locked.

She had not been there at all.

_**Pokémon**_

Everything had been the same this morning. Gary had gotten up, gone to work, come home like normal. The difference was that he had not seen May at all.

Usually they would cross paths at some point, whether it was when he left or arrived home.

He checked in her bedroom, but she was not there. Instead, he saw a photo of him and Leaf that had been taken on their six month anniversary. It had been a memorable occasion for the both of them – neither had had an anniversary longer than three months.

It had been poking out from beneath the bed, the space where Leaf had hidden everything when she had lived in that room. Besides this, the room was spotless. May's clothes were hanging neatly in the closet, the bed perfectly made, just as it always was whenever May decided to leave in the morning.

Even as he pulled out his phone though, he realised that he had no reason to call May, besides the fact that he knew her story, and was worrying about her.

She was a grown woman; she did not need him to babysit her. She was capable of looking after herself.

But was he capable of looking after himself?

Now that he had lost Leaf, he felt lost. And now that May didn't depend on him anymore, he felt alone.

Perhaps this was what Paul had been telling him about. Maybe he needed some space, to learn how to gain his independence back again. Only once he had done that, could he have the closure he craved.

_**Pokémon**_

Misty was restless.

She had tried calling Drew all morning, but he was yet to call her back.

After her team's discovery, she had called Mrs Stuarts, who had confirmed Misty's suspicions. The bodies had been taken away for DNA tests, and the results had come in that morning.

Only three of the bodies had DNA which matched that of Drew's family. One member was still missing.

Elizabeth had been in that cellar, as had Will and their son.

It pained Misty, knowing that she had a personal connection with the victims, even if they had not known it.

The emotion that had not been present for the others had made itself known in that cellar. The full extent of what she was doing had hit her.

There had been no tears, she had not succumbed to that, but she had been silent. All week, her usual bright and chipper nature had deserted her.

Perhaps it would have been easier on her if Drew would just call her back.

She and Blake had grown closer as a result. He had been quick to comfort her, and had supported her throughout the testing.

In fact, she realised now, she had not thought of Ash since the discovery.

And he should have been the one she first turned to for help.

"Hey Misty. I brought you some lunch."

She smiled at him, seeing his easy grin come to his face.

Standing, she took the bag off of Blake and they went to sit at the table.

"Did I tell you about Heath's latest attempt to woo Alyssa?"

"No, what happened?"

It was true, Ash should have been the first one she turned to.

But while she was in Jubilife, she didn't mind.

_**Pokémon**_

Leaf had woken up with a headache. That never boded well for her. She groaned as she began her preparations for the day. If anyone tried to give her a hard time today…

She looked at herself in the mirror in her bathroom.

Sighing to herself, she began applying her makeup. After deeming herself half respectable, she looked at the time.

"Damn it," she murmured.

It was 11:30. She was already supposed to be at the orphanage a half hour ago.

She swiftly dressed, and then hurried there. When she arrived, she was bombarded by children. She could feel her patience dropping with every minute she was forced to talk to them.

Unfortunately, it was Tatiana who she snapped at.

"Leafy, can you braid my doll's hair for me?"

"In a second, Tati," she replied.

Tom had knocked over Fi's blocks, and she was crying; Mia and Josie were fighting over their toys; Jake had come in covered in food; Tatiana was the least of Leaf's problems.

"Ash!" she called. She couldn't find him anywhere, and if she ever needed help, now was the time.

"Leafy! I can't braid hair, I need you to do it."

"Hold on Tatiana!" Leaf snapped.

Slowly, she worked her way through the children. When she turned back to Tatiana, she was gone.

"Oh God," she whispered.

The pain in her head intensified, as she searched the entire room for the girl.

Just as she was about to give up, Ash came in, holding a crying Tatiana in his arms.

"Leaf?" he asked, a frown on his face.

She sighed, and ran her hands through her hair, a wave of relief rushing over her.

"What did you do?"

As soon as it had come, the relief was gone.

"I didn't do anything," she answered curtly.

"Then why's Tatiana crying? She said you were ignoring her."

"I was ignoring her?" The rage grew in her chest. "I was trying to look after the other children. Is there a problem with that? Maybe you should be more patient and a little less selfish, Tati."

She huffed and stormed out of the orphanage, not caring that she had just let out all her anger on such a small child.

Who was Tatiana to complain?

It wasn't like she was being paid to look after her.

It wasn't like she enjoyed looking after them.

Angry as she was, she took no notice when a green-haired man started following her.

_**Pokémon**_

May had woken early that morning, before Gary had even begun to stir.

This was rare, considering her late hours, but she hadn't been able to sleep.

She had been so close to cracking Drew the other night, at starting afresh. There was no way that she could leave it at that.

Dressing quickly, she hurried out the apartment, forgetting to leave a note for Gary.

She shook her head. He didn't need to know where she was going. Besides, she was bound to see him at some point.

She walked through the city, until she finally arrived at her destination. She knocked on the door, waiting patiently until it was opened.

"Hello. I'm May."

"I know who you are. What are you here for?"

"Can I come in?"

"Depends if you're going to waste my time or not."

"If I was going to waste your time why would I come?"

Paul grinned. He liked this girl, who was sure of herself. She had grown a lot from the fragile thing that Dawn had first told him about. She was more confident, and self-assured.

But he could still see the lines on her face, and the slight water in her eyes, that told him she was still mending.

"Come in then."

She did so, and accepted the glass of water he fetched for her.

People thought Paul was a quiet, angry person, but this was not true.

May could see that. He just had no time for people that wasted time. He liked to get on with things, and succeed, not waste time with stupid ideas that had a chance in failing.

That was why she was there. To plan her next course of action.

"So why are you here, May?"

She explained her situation briefly, giving him all that he needed to know. As she went on, she became worried that perhaps he might think she was being selfish, and that she should worry about other things, but never once did he interrupt her.

"I see," he said simply when she had finished. "So what has this got to do with me?"

"I need your help," she began. "I just know that Drew is killing himself keeping everything bottled up, and that's not good for him."

"How do you know it's not good for him? He is perfectly capable of running his own life."

May hesitated. Everyone had asked her this question, and she never really had an answer for them. She figured that it was about time she found one with Paul.

"I just know. I know what he was like before and after, and I know that the aftermath is not good. And I also know how stubborn he can be, and how much he means to me, and I mean to him. He's trying not to get me involved because I have my own life, which he doesn't want to interfere with."

"But you want to him to be a part of your life?"

She nodded. "Exactly."

"Fair enough. But, again, what has this got to do with me?"

She looked at him in the eye, not letting him put her off. "I know there is something going on with you and Dawn. I know you have been helping Gary out as well. I wanted to know if you could help me the same way. I need a direct route to get Drew to tell me what's happening, no more beating around the bush. Your advice has done wonders with Gary. Please help me."

_**Pokémon**_

Leaf paused by the park. There was just something about the place that relaxed her. She sat on one of the benches, and shut her eyes, ignoring everything that was going on around her.

"What's your problem today?"

She snapped her open, glaring at the man who had disrupted her.

"Drew, isn't it?"

He nodded. "There's no need to ask who you are. You're Leaf."

She smiled ruefully. "Guess my story is no secret now."

"I wouldn't say that." He sat beside her. "I don't know what's happened. And I don't care really either," he added, as she had opened her mouth to speak. "I just know you're hurting. I am too."

She didn't want to do this today. How she didn't want to do this.

But he was reaching out to her. She had to.

"Why don't you tell May?"

She saw him flinch at May's name. Clearly they hadn't resolved all their issues yet.

"I do want to."

"But she's too close?"

He nodded sadly.

"I understand," she added. "My issues I should be talking about with someone, but they're better off not knowing."

"That's what you think. Maybe they have a right to know."

"Then why doesn't May have a right to know?"

He chuckled, "Well played, Leaf."

She smiled. "I do try."

They were both silent for a moment, before Leaf began again, "I can't help you, at least not today, sorry. But whatever it is that you're hurting with, May's the best person to tell. Just try it. She can help you with what you need to do." She stood up. "Come to the bar tonight, she'll be there. If it doesn't work out, I'll be there at the end too."

_**Pokémon**_

As Dawn prepared for the night's shift, she thought of everything that had happened to her the past few months. It had been full on.

It had been filled with ups and downs, but everything was almost all right again.

She looked across the room, and saw Paul working away at the stage. A few floorboards had come up, and he was nailing them back in.

She hadn't even asked him to come, he just had. And that meant so much to her.

It meant that he had accepted her running of the bar.

It also meant that not even a day after admitting their problem, they were already better at communicating.

How did this happen?

She wasn't even sure. Never had she ever had any idea what was going on in Paul's head. It was part of the reason she loved him like she did. He kept his emotions at bay, whereas she would always show hers.

"Dawn?"

She jumped, startled by his sudden presence beside her.

"What's up, Paul?"

"I finished the flooring," he said, nodding at the stage.

Dawn smiled. He had done a real nice job.

"I was thinking, this bar will bring in a lot of money, especially when we can get it running properly. You know, not just a night time thing. We could do lunch and that."

"But that would need a lot of upkeep," Dawn reminded him.

He rolled his eyes. "I know. I was getting to that. I was thinking, what if I quit my job?"

She looked at him quizzically. "But then I would be the only one working."

He glared at her. "Do you really think I would let you do all the work? I would never do that, no matter how much independence you wanted."

She laughed. They did banter, but she would not let this get into a full blown argument. Then they would be back where they started.

"I don't understand, Paul."

He rolled his eyes again. "Really? I hadn't noticed."

"Hey!" she scolded, punching his arm.

"This bar could turn into a proper investment, if we put the right level of care into it. What if we did that? What if we ran the bar full time? I'd have to quit my job, but we would both be happy doing it."

She stared incredulously at him.

What had happened in the past day with them?

He understood her perfectly now. Could one conversation really do that to a person?

And she could tell how much thought he had put into this.

"What happened, Paul? What changed your mind about this place?"

He shrugged. "I woke up this morning, and just realised what it was like without you, how much you mean to me. I want things to go back to what they were, and this bar seemed like it could solve everything."

She felt tears come to eyes. "Paul…" she whispered. "I was so scared, when I put the deposit down for this place. I dug myself such a deep hole, and I was worried I was going to lose your for it… Just because of my pride."

He leant over, and clasped her hands in his.

She leaned into his shoulder, and she felt him move to hug her.

As she felt him kiss her neck, she knew that everything was getting better.

_**Pokémon**_

When Leaf walked into the bar that evening, she knew immediately something was different.

Perhaps it was the fact that everything seemed a lot cleaner, or there were more people, or that Dawn and May both had smiles on their faces when she arrived, but it was better.

It was a shame that she still had her headache to spoil the mood.

No one seemed to notice her though, as she sidled through the throng of people to the bar.

"Hi there, Dawn," she said.

"Leaf!" Dawn squealed. "We fixed things. I still don't know how it happened, but it's fixed. And he said that he's been helping May as well, and Gary too, and everything is just going to get better."

Leaf opened her mouth to reply, but Dawn left her to serve a customer.

Dawn and Paul had fixed things between them. That was good.

May was being helped by Gary and Paul. That was good as well.

And perhaps she had helped Drew a little as well. Maybe they could reconcile tonight.

Gary was being helped to move on too though.

She was filled with conflicting emotions. She should be happy for her friends, but they were the ones that were taking Gary from her.

But hadn't she been the one to let Gary go herself?

She groaned. It was her head. If was feeling better she could have been happy, but no, she was not allowed to be so in her condition.

Stepping up onto the stage and unpacking her guitar, a flood of calmness enveloped her. This was what she needed. When she was playing, she could forget about everything. That was all she had to do right now. She could deal with everything else later.

_Turn Around  
Turn Around and fix your eye in my direction  
So there is a connection  
I can't speak  
I can't make a sound to somehow capture your attention  
I'm staring at perfection  
take a look at me so you can see  
how beautiful you are_

"_That kiss seems like a good place to start."_

That was what Paul had said to her. She had to make her move tonight. But she had to time it perfectly.

May looked around, hoping that Drew would arrive soon, as he always did.

There!

A flash of green hair wandered through the crowd and over to the bar.

He ordered a drink from Dawn and went to sit.

May hurried over to Dawn and asked her what the order was. She prepared it, and took it over to him.

_you call me a stranger  
you say I'm a danger  
but all these thoughts are leaving you tonight  
I'm broke and abandoned  
you are an angel  
making all my dreams come true tonight  
_

"Hi Drew. Here's your drink."

He looked paler than usual, she noticed.

"Drew, is something wrong?"

He refused to look at her, only having eyes for the table.

"Drew, you have to tell me."

"I don't have to tell you anything," he near shouted.

May flinched, but held her ground. She prayed that Paul had known what he was talking about. She tried to recall their conversation.

"_You have two options. The first is my favourite. Be forceful with him. If you're commanding, he'll be more likely to listen to you. You're other option, is to be sexual. Admit it, you like it when guys flirt with you. He'll like it if you flirt with him. Perhaps remind him that he kissed you."_

"_But what if they don't work?" she had asked._

"_They only won't work due to unforeseen circumstances," he replied. "try to work with Leaf if that happens. You'll know what I mean if it happens. She's good at that kind of thing."_

_I'm confident  
but I can't pretend I wasn't terrified to meet you  
I knew you could see right through me  
I saw my life flash right before my very eyes  
and I knew just what we'd turn into  
I was hopeing that you could see  
take a look at me so you can see  
_

Was this the unforeseen circumstances Paul had been talking about? It seemed like it.

Something had happened today, which had crushed Drew. She had to get the reason out of him now.

Before anything happened.

She sat beside him, and took a hold of his hands.

"You do have to tell me. Whether you like it or not. I can help you. I am the only person that can possibly help you through this."

He snorted, "Where does that logic come from?"

She stared him down. "Has anyone else cared enough to pester your about this so much?"

"Has anyone else been so nosy about this?"

_you call me a stranger  
you say I'm a danger  
but all these thoughts are leaving you tonight  
I'm broke and abandoned  
you are an angel  
making all my dreams come true tonight_

_Listen to Leaf…_

She knew what she had to do.

"I'm not being nosy. Nosy would have been if I were a stranger to you, but I'm not. We lived together for two years Drew. You can't say you don't know me after that. I let you in with a thousand of my problems. I made you a part of my life. You cannot sit there and tell me I am not a part of yours."

He was silent.

Slowly, he brought his eyes up to meet hers.

She continued on, never once letting his gaze leave hers.

"I'm doing this because I care, Drew."

_you are an angel  
making all my dreams come true tonight_

take a look at me so you can see  
how beautiful you are  


"I'm doing this for all those times you helped me. Because you mean that much to me, Drew. It is hurting me to see you like this. I know that's why you won't tell me. You taught me all about independence, Drew. I know there is a difference between independence and stubbornness, and that is what you have. You are just being stubborn, with a body full of pride."

He broke her gaze, looking at Leaf instead.

"You're so beautiful, did you know that, May? I've learnt so much from you. It was thanks to you I learned how to care about someone else. I'd never had to before. If I wanted something, my parents would just give it to me, they were so rich. I never learned to love and care and treasure something, though. It's really thanks to you I'm such a mess right now."

_your beauty seems so far away  
I'd have to write a thousand songs to make you comprehend how beautiful you are_

"My family – my sister, her husband and two children – have been travelling throughout Sinnoh lately. They were on their way to meet me about four months ago. Do you know where they were when I lost contact with them?"

May gripped his hand firmly, tears coming to her eyes. She wiped them away with her other hand. She needed to be strong for him.

"They were in Jubilife when it got bombed. They had been due to fly out that afternoon. I don't know what's happened to them. I haven't had any word from them, or anyone else."

May stood and hugged him. She felt him hug her back, and she felt her shirt slowly becoming soaked with his tears.

She could see Leaf looking at them through his hair. A small smile was on her face. She could not have known about the circumstances.

_I know that I can't make you stay  
but I would give my final breathe to make you understand how beautiful you are  
understand how beautiful you are_

"I'm so sorry what I've put you through, May…" he murmured.

"No, now's not the time to talk about that," she told him.

She had gotten what she wanted – Drew's reason. Her life was still messed up though.

_One step at a time_, she told herself.

Her other cares could come second, until Misty returned back.

"That's what Misty is doing, isn't it?" she asked. "She's trying to find what's happened."

She felt Drew nod against her shoulder. "She's in a search and rescue team. She called me earlier, telling me that there was news, but I can't call her back."

_you call me a stranger  
you say I'm a danger  
but all these thoughts are leaving you tonight  
I'm broke and abandoned  
you are an angel  
making all my dreams come true tonight_

"Do you want me to be there?" May asked. "I'll be there for you, and no matter what she tells us, we'll get through it. You need to find out."

"I know."

"You watch, Drew. Even if it doesn't seem like it now, things will get better. You just have to have faith."

_you call me a stranger  
you say I'm a danger  
you call me a stranger_

"Thank you, May."

_It'll get better,_ she thought, _for you, and for me._

_**Pokémon**_

**Tada! The extremely long overdue next instalment of The Mistakes I've Made. I think it's a little bit sad that I couldn't actually remember what I had written previously, it was so long ago. Maybe that's why this is written a little bit differently to the previous chapters, at least, I think it is so anyway. **

**This was by far my most favourite chapter to write. Probably you will all think it's not as good as the other ones though haha. I wanted to make it happier, but I think some of the characters turned out a little OOC in order to do that. Sorry. **

_**Replies to Reviews – **_

_Iheartmuusic – _Aww thank you. Your review made me smile haha. I am happy I will finish this as well. I rarely ever finish stories I start writing which is a little bit disappointing. I'm working on it :)

_XWhiteChanX – _I've always thought that Dawn and Paul are similar, I have no idea why though. That just comes up when I write it though. I don't even know how to explain it though. I really didn't want Misty's group to be boring, for reasons which I cannot tell you haha. I hope you enjoyed that contestshipping in this chapter. :) Thanks for your review.

_Eeveexme – _Is this enough ikarishipping for you? That part was so much fun to write. I'm sorry this update took so long :( but here it is :)

_TheScoutFinch – _I hope this bit of happy shippings made up for all the depressingness of the last few chapters. :) Thank you for your reviews every chapter. They mean a lot.

_ShadowAbsol13 – _Haha, I'm glad you are eager :) That's why I enjoy writing for you all.

_Ern Estine 13624 – _I hope you enjoyed this chapter. Thanks for your review :)

_The Ice Sorceress – _I'm glad you liked the last chapter. I enjoyed writing it :) Thank you for your kind words.

_Louricam The Manga Freak – _Yay! I'm glad you liked the last chapter. I'm sorry this one took so long in coming, I hope you don't mind.

_Leafeonchick03 – _Thank you! :)

_Shippings – _I hope you know who you are haha. Your name is way too long for me to remember every reply. :p I'm so happy you enjoyed the last chapter :) I'm sorry this one took a long time in coming.

_Cutiepiepo2 – _Aww I'm not sure I'm that good. I just try to make something interesting for you to read, and it really makes me happy to know you are enjoying my story so much. There's only 4 chapters left so everything is beginning to come to together and pick up. Thanks for your review :)

_MudkipLover33 – _I hope this lived up to your expectations. I'm so happy that everyone's relationships can be fixed now. And things can stop being sad. I hate sad things so much! So this is a lot more fun haha.

_Ka-tay's Mind – _It wasn't Drew's parents. It was his sister and her family. Sorry about that confusion. It's weird to think of Paul as cute haha. Thanks for your review :)

_OrikamiGirl – _I'm glad you think that about my story. It's what I was aiming for, and it's what I am trying to get better at. So thank you for your review :)

_CierraLuvsPokemon4Eva – _Wow. I can't believe you reviewed every chapter! Thanks so much for doing that. I appreciate the constructive criticism that you have given me. I'm glad you think this is different. I try to stray from the cliché moments, and I know I definitely have some, but that you think it's still different means a lot to me. Thanks so much :)

**Thank you again to everyone who has reviewed/favourite/alerted. They keep me motivated. I hope to have the next chapter up a lot faster than this one was. School is school haha. **

**Cheers guys. :)**


	11. Chapter 11

**Disclaimer: I do not own Pokémon or the song **_**Stay Close Don't Go**_** by Secondhand Serenade.**

**Chapter 11 – Stay Close, Don't Go**

"Blake. What are we doing?"

"You said it was alright. Ash isn't here."

"But that's the point. Why would you let me say that? Even when we're apart, we're supposed to still be together… not just lose contact."

Blake sighed. He had known this was going to happen at some point. Misty was a strong girl, and an honourable one. She knew her morals. Even if they had only been talking… he had taken the role of her boyfriend.

He knew how much she loved Ash. There was no way that he could ever compete with him.

"I'm sorry, Mist. I just…"

She threw up her hands. "You just what, Blake? What if he thinks I've forgotten about him? After all we went through. Oh God…" her voice trailed off to a whisper, "What if he thinks I'm cheating on him with you?"

She sat down on the couch and put her head in her hands.

The pair were in Misty's room. It was cosy, with only a little table and couch, and a bedroom. More often than not, Blake spent the night there. But he always slept on the couch.

He was only there to keep her company. She was lonely, and he had no wish to see her like that. In the short time that Blake had known her, she had grown to mean a lot to him.

"Nothing ever happened, Mist."

"I know," she moaned, "but he won't know that. How could I have been so stupid?"

"Hey now." He stepped over to her and hugged her. She tried to pull away but he still held her, and eventually she let her head rest on his shoulder, and began crying into it.

"What's up, Mist? The Misty I know would never cry over something like this. The Misty I know is stronger than this."

"I just miss him," she answered. "And it's all my fault that I do. I should have called him, but I got distracted. And I know that he was so worried about my coming here."

"Why was he worried?" Blake asked. "You're just following your heart."

"I know. He was worried about you."

Ash felt threatened by him? Blake chuckled slightly.

"What's so funny?" Misty questioned.

"Ash felt threatened by me."

"Don't get on your high horse. He should never feel threatened," she scolded.

The happiness left him.

He had let his hopes get too high. He had thought that maybe Misty would fall for him, for caring as much as he did on this trip. But he meant nothing to her.

"Blake?"

"What's, up, Mist?"

"You know I never meant it to be like this, right? I'm not a vulnerable person. This is just so strange to me."

He wasn't sure what she was talking about, and he let her know that.

She withdrew from his embrace and looked up at him.

"I'm sorry if I led you on. But I love Ash, and I'm not going to leave him."

He shrugged casually, putting on a façade. "Oh, no. You weren't leading me on. You're my friend. That's it."

"Really? We've gotten so close these past two weeks though. I would have thought-"

"You were upset and stressed. I was just doing what any other friend would do in that situation."

He shrugged again and stood up. "I should be going and packing up my stuff. I'll see you at the airport, Misty."

He left the room.

Misty looked after him sadly. She could tell he was lying. She noticed how he used her full name as he left, she could sense the change in his body language and she could hear the change in his tone of voice.

He had feelings for her, and she had crushed them. Maybe there had been a better way to let him down, but she hadn't even realised he felt that way about her until moments beforehand.

Sighing, she stood up and began packing her things.

In a few hours they were on the plane for Snowpoint City.

_**Pokémon**_

Dawn and Leaf were talking quietly that afternoon as they supervised over some of the younger children that were napping.

"I'm so happy for you and Paul, Dawn."

Dawn smiled. "I am too."

"Do you think it's fixed completely now?"

She shrugged. "I hope so. But we can't just go back to how it was before. We need something that will keep us together."

"How long have you been married?"

"Six years. But we've been together since highschool."

"Woah…" Leaf trailed off. Then she asked, "How did you do it?"

Dawn frowned. "What do you mean?"

"How did you stay together for so long without something bad happening?" Leaf clarified.

Dawn looked sadly at the other woman. "You haven't talked to Gary yet, then?"

Leaf shook her head sadly. "I just can't," she whispered, "I'm so scared."

The blunette reached out to her, placing her hand on one of Leaf's. "I think you're ready to talk to him. Even though it's only been two weeks… and that's not really that much time to sort out your thoughts, I know you've been thinking a lot about the two of you, and Paul's told me Gary's done the same."

Leaf bit her lip, staring at the ground.

"Come on. Look what happened when I talked to Paul. We're back together now. I don't understand Leaf."

"I don't want you to!"

Dawn flinched, and some of the children woke up. She cast Leaf a stern look before going to calm them down. Leaf in turn sighed and went to help.

When they were finished the girls left the children to the care of another helper so they could continue to talk.

They went outside, where the harsh wind bit at their skin and they huddled together on the street curb.

"What was that for?" Dawn snapped.

Leaf shrugged apologetically. "I'm sorry."

"You're not sorry. I know you better than that, Leaf. There's no two ways about it. You need to talk to Gary, now. Don't take out all your emotions on me."

With that, she stormed back into the orphanage, leaving Leaf alone.

"I heard my name mentioned."

Leaf jumped and turned around.

There he was. Standing in all his glory, just a few metres away.

He looked gorgeous to her, as he always had – always did. Even the cold wind, which made his face seem paler and ruffled his hair, could not change her opinion.

"Gary…"

"What do we need to talk about?"

His voice sounded harsh, and yet vulnerable at the same time. She could not figure out if he wanted to talk to her or not. Panic spread through her body.

Leaf looked around wildly. She did not want to do this. Something had to be around that would get her out of this.

"Um… Not right now."

He looked disappointed. Leaf could tell.

She was just wrecking things. Even more than before. No matter what had happened before he would know she was running away now.

And she was.

Oh God, why was this so hard?

"Well… I guess I'll be going then," he mumbled.

No.

"No!"

He turned around, a shocked look on his face. But there was something else there… Anger? With a bit or remorse?

She was confused. Her breathing started to get faster. What was she thinking?

"Leaf?"

He ran over to her and caught her just before she fell. She started crying, and all he could do was hold her.

"Leaf, what's wrong? Do you need me to get someone?"

She shook her head, and just held him.

They stood there together in a tight embrace for a few minutes. Neither dared to move, because they both knew that once they did, this moment of caring would be forgotten, and they would go back to barely acknowledging each other's existence.

_**Pokémon**_

Ash was waiting at the airport for Misty to arrive home.

He wanted to see her face again, hold her… speak to her.

She had not called in a week, and he had no idea why. He suspected the worse – that something had happened between her and Blake, but he prayed that it wasn't so.

Even so… fear was always the strongest emotion.

She came out, and saw him, freezing in her place.

He tried to read the expression on her face, but he failed to do so. This saddened him. He offered her a weak, little smile, which she returned.

Then _he_ came out. _He_ noticed that she was frozen in her spot, and reached out an arm to hold her shoulder. She turned to _him_, and must have said something about Ash because _Blake_ soon looked at him.

Ash felt rage overcome him. He tried to keep it down, but seeing _him_, talking so freely with her, with such a caring look on his face…

As they both walked over to him, Ash realised that he didn't have an option.

If they were together, they were together.

Maybe Misty just was not the girl that he thought he knew.

"Hey there."

The words hung in the air.

"Why didn't you call?"

She looked at the ground. He noticed that her hair was out. She only did that on special occasions.

"Why's your hair out?"

Misty looked at him curiously. "What?"

"You only do that on special occasions. It's out now."

"Isn't now special?"

She smiled at him sweetly, blushing a little.

No. It was not possible for her to cheat on him. He knew that. That was why he loved her.

He stepped forward and hugged her. She held him for a few moments, but then stepped back.

He looked at her confused. "What's up, Mist?"

"I'm so sorry I didn't call. I got distracted…" She looked over at Blake, and the anger returned.

"What did you do?" He turned to face Blake. Even now, there was no way he could be mad at Misty.

"I swear I didn't do anything," Blake protested, taking a step back from Ash.

"Ash, calm down and let me explain!" Misty cried, stepping in front of the two of them. Her voice softened, "That came out wrong. I need to tell you about someone. His name's Drew. I should have told you first, I know…" she trailed off, before picking up again, "But I got distracted with everything. I'm not used to not being with you. I didn't like it, and the stress of this and everything… Please say something."

He stared at her. "Did anything happen with him?" He pointed at Blake.

Misty shook her head. "This has nothing to do with him. I promise."

"I wanted to be here to apologize," Blake interrupted. He looked at Misty. She took the hint and excused herself to get her luggage.

"What's up then, Blake?"

The two men stood about a metre apart, Ash with his arms crossed, Blake with his arms hanging by his side. The feelings between the two of them were clear.

"I wanted you to know that you're so very lucky to have Misty. I…I tried to make a move on her. I'm sorry. It was wrong of me. I want you to know that she stood by you. She loves you. She really does."

Ash took a deep breath. He was mad at Blake, he really was. But after the rollercoaster that the last few months had been, let alone all he had felt tonight… he just couldn't let loose on Blake.

"I don't blame you."

"What?" Blake asked, startled.

"I don't blame you for having feelings for Misty. She's amazing. But I got her first." Ash grinned.

Blake grinned as well. The pair shook hands, before following Misty to the baggage carousel.

_**Pokémon**_

May reached Drew's flat after she answered a phone call from him to which he would not respond to her. She found him sitting alone on the floor of his bathroom, head in his hands and curled into a ball.

"Drew?" she gasped. She knelt beside him and held his face. "Drew, what's wrong?"

When he didn't respond she gritted her teeth.

"Drew, come on, talk to me. Please…" she trailed off. She hugged him and traced comforting circles on his back.

Slowly, she felt him relax, and fall into her embrace.

"This is about your family. We have to talk to Misty today. Maybe she's found something else."

"May…" Drew shuddered. "I can't, I just can't."

"I know you're scared, Drew. But you have to do this. I'll be here with you the whole time."

It was strange. Drew was never this vulnerable.

It made May scared.

He was not like this.

Drew was strong.

He was determined.

He was arrogant and a pain.

He was never defeated by anything.

"Drew. Come on," she whispered. "Don't do this to me."

"What am I doing to you?" he whispered.

"You've never been like this, ever. It's scaring me."

"That's comforting," he said sarcastically.

She grinned. "See? Being a pain comes naturally to you."

He glared at her.

"My point is," she continued, "is that no matter what Misty tells us, it can never hold you down. If it's good news, we'll celebrate. If it's bad… well, we'll mourn for them. But we'll know about them and can do the appropriate action. Without knowing, we won't know if they ever really got to be buried."

"Or if they still want to see me."

"Right."

They were silent for a few moments longer until Drew spoke again.

"We can handle this, can't we?"

May nodded her head, and looked him in the eye.

"We've got this."

_**Pokémon**_

That evening Leaf was preparing for the evening's work when May and Drew walked in. She smiled at them, but otherwise offered no other greeting.

That is, until she noticed Drew had walked up to the stage.

She hadn't really spoken to the man much. But she had learned to trust May, and he was a friend of hers.

"May's mentioned you a lot," he said.

"Has she?" Leaf asked, continuing to tune her guitar.

"Yeah. She thinks quite highly of you."

"Does she now?"

"Are you just going to ignore everything I say?"

"I'm not ignoring you," she said, looking at him. "I just haven't talked to you much."

He rolled his eyes. "And you're going to fix that by not talking to me? That's a genius plan of yours."

"Hush." She looked at him, a stern look and a pout on her face, before she began laughing.

The situation wasn't even that funny. But there had been so much anxiety, so much stress, in the past few months that it was needed, and welcomed by the pair.

It was infectious, the laughter, and soon the three of them were having a lighthearted conversations as they prepared for the evening. Later on, they were joined by Dawn, who joined in as well.

As soon as the customers began rolling in though, it was business as usual. For the most part, anyway.

For the first time in months, Leaf wore a smile on her face as she played.

Drew looked over at her from across the bar where he had taken a seat, and smiled as well. He looked over at May. She too, seemed happier than usual.

And he did himself.

"Today's going to be a good night," he murmured.

_**Pokémon**_

Gary walked into the bar that evening to chatter, laughter and music. All of his new friends were smiling and talking to each other, or to complete strangers.

"Gary! Here, let me get you a drink."

He turned his head to see May already fetching a glass to prepare his drink. Feeling a smile come to his face, he went and sat across from her.

"How's it going, May? You didn't come home last night."

She was flushed, he noticed. Maybe it was because of how busy the bar was that night, but another part of him wondered if she too could feel Drew's eyes on them.

"Oh, sorry about that. I did mean to call but I figured you would be asleep." She paused as she handed him his drink, and then went to serve another person.

When she came back she continued, "I was talking to Drew and I didn't think he should be left alone."

Again she scurried off to serve another new arrival.

Figuring he wouldn't get anything much out of her at this point, Gary settled himself down to listen to Leaf.

Immersed in her music as he was, he didn't notice a raven haired man and his girlfriend enter the bar.

He didn't notice them go up to the bar and order a drink and he didn't see Drew watching them uneasily.

But May did. She served them, and she went to talk to the green haired man.

_**Pokémon**_

Drew froze when he saw May begin to walk towards him. He knew what she would want from him. He shook his head at her, but she continued towards him, a determined look on her face.

Upon reaching him she said, "This is the perfect time, Drew."

"How is it perfect?" he asked.

"Is any other time going to be more perfect?" she offered as a response.

He glared at her. He was supposed to be the one that offered the annoying, teasing comments. Not the other way around.

"Fine," he muttered. She smiled at him supportively, and reached for his hand.

"You can do this, Drew. I know you can. I'll be here."

"You're starting to sound like a broken record,"

"Good." May nodded her head. "That means you're listening to me."

"How do you figure?" he shot back.

"Don't try and change the subject. Go talk, now."

With that she turned around and went back to her job. Drew looked over at Misty, and noticed her looking at him.

It turned out he didn't get a choice, because she chose to come over to him.

"Drew? I have news on your family." She motioned to go outside, and slowly, he followed her across the bar and outdoors.

_**Pokémon**_

Paul arrived at the bar as Misty and Drew were leaving it. He nodded to the pair of them before going inside. What they were doing alone outside was none of his business.

Walking in, he saw Gary sitting by himself, watching Leaf play. He went over to him and pulled up a stool beside him.

"I think you should talk to her."

"Why's that?" Gary asked, startled by his sudden appearance.

"Because something happened today."

"How do you know something happened today?"

Paul smirked. "You haven't been here in ages. Something made you come back. Like seeing Leaf today."

Gary glared at him. Paul chuckled.

"So why are you here then?"

"If you cared to listen or use your eyes you would see that Dawn is no longer repulsed by my presence."

"What did I do to deserve this?" Gary muttered. "Everyone's getting better or moving on and I'm not."

"I think you should talk to her," Paul repeated.

"You don't know what happened," Gary responded with.

Paul shrugged and watched Leaf. She seemed happier than usual.

"Something good," he said.

Gary sent another glare at him. "How are you so perceptive?"

Paul shrugged again. "I have my ways."

"Fine, if you must know I ran into Leaf at the orphanage today. Dawn was with her, actually."

This caught Paul by surprise. He had not yet known that Dawn was working there as well. His first thought was that it would be too much on her. His second was that she wouldn't be doing it if she didn't want to.

"Go on," Paul suggested. He would not let Gary know the news surprised him.

"Dawn said that Leaf should talk to me."

"That's all?" Paul questioned. "You're only here to see if she will talk to you?"

"Well…" Gary trailed off. "Dawn left us alone and she kind of… sort of broke down a little."

"And you did what?"

"I helped her. What else was I supposed to do?"

"You could have left."

"And leave her like that when she was so vulnerable? Someone could have easily done something to her at that point."

"So we can conclude you still have feelings for her, and you are here tonight to try and talk to her. Because even if she doesn't actually want to talk to you, you will go up to her because that's the kind of person you are."

Gary looked at him, defeated. "Fine. That's why I'm here."

_**Pokémon**_

"There's no easy way to say this, Drew."

"Just say it quick and fast… like a needle."

Misty nodded her head firmly. She would tell him straight. That was what he deserved.

"You're sister's dead. So is her husband, and their little boy."

Drew's breath caught in his throat.

They were all dead.

"H-how?" he stuttered.

"The hotel they were staying at… it was blown up. They were trapped in the cellar, and couldn't get out." She hesitated, seeing his face crumple. "I'm so sorry, Drew," she murmured.

"No!" he yelled. Tears leaked from his eyes. "They're dead… they're all dead."

Misty knelt beside him. It was hard, but she had one more piece of information to give him. This was her only chance to tell him what she knew.

She placed a comforting hand on his shoulder, and he looked up at her. He eyes had turned red, and he looked paler.

"You said Elizabeth and Will had a daughter, didn't you?"

Slowly, Drew nodded. "Why?"

Misty swallowed. "We didn't find her in the cellar. We checked out the whole of Jubilife City. All the houses have been cleared. She's not anywhere there."

"What's that mean?" Drew's voice cracked.

"I don't want you to get your hopes up, but she might still be alive. Your niece might still be alive."

Misty could only look on helplessly as Drew's face grew ever paler, and his breathing became shallower and more rapid.

"Damnit…" She stood and tried to lift him, but he wouldn't move.

"Come on, Drew, I need you to get up. We've got to get you inside, in the warm."

She tried again, but he remained frozen in his place.

Misty bit her lip. He was going into shock. She knelt and rubbed his back, feeling his muscles relaxed.

"Let me get you inside. Everything's going to be okay, I just need you to go inside Drew. Come on, give me something to work with. Please, Drew."

She whimpered. He wasn't responding.

Misty looked at the door. She debated whether to go inside and fetch May, but looking back at Drew, she decided against it. She couldn't risk anything happening to him, even if she only left for a short time.

She had to pull herself together. It was only the shock of the news that had him this way. It wasn't serious. She needed to comfort him if she was going to get him into the bar.

She sat beside him, ignoring the cold bite of the snow that was falling steadily around her.

Gripping his hand, she leaned against him and rested her head on his shoulder, sharing her body warmth with him.

"Drew, I know this is hard for you. But that little girl could still be alive. No, I know she is going to be alive. And I don't tell lies. Ask Ash. He'll tell you. There is no way she was in Jubilife, and all the search and rescue teams scoured that city. Somewhere in Sinnoh, your niece is alive and waiting for you to come and find her. But you can't do that waiting out here. Come back inside. We'll find her, I promise."

She felt a movement by her head and looked up at him. He placed his hands on the ground and used them to push himself up off the ground.

"Do you swear we'll find her?"

Misty nodded. "I know we will."

Drew looked up at the sky and she saw him take in a deep breath. Then he went back inside, leaving her alone.

She sighed deeply. She hoped her promise wouldn't be in vain.

_**Pokémon**_

Dawn smiled at him when she saw Paul walk into the bar. Ever since they had made up, he had been so much more supportive of her.

It gave her a new found confidence in herself which she had lost when he left.

She saw him talking to Gary. Between the two of them, they would see to it that Gary and Leaf got back together. Despite the rough edges surrounding their relationship, the two loved each other.

They were just too scared.

Too scared to screw it up more than they already had.

Dawn knew all about being scared. So did Paul.

So did May and Drew, and Ash and Misty.

They had all been scared. But slowly, things were making themselves right again. And that would include Leaf and Gary, eventually.

"What's on your mind?"

His gruff tone let her know immediately who it was.

"Them. They're scared to talk to each other now."

"I wish they would see it's not so complicated as they are making it seem."

She smiled, looking at him. "Didn't we do that?"

_I'm staring at the glass in front of me,  
Is it half empty?  
Have I ruined all you've given me?  
I know I've been selfish,  
I know I've been foolish,  
But look through that and you will see,  
That I'll do better.  
I know, baby I can do better._

"Ha. We were so stupid."

She fetched him a drink, and handing it to him, said, "I was actually talking to Leaf earlier about us."

He frowned. "We're good now, aren't we?"

"We are… but Paul," her voice faltered.

"What's wrong, Dawn?"

"What if it happens again?"

He reached out a hand to her. "Dawn, I'm not going to let it happen again. We're not going to let it happen again."

"I know, but still, I was thinking. Why do we work?"

"We just do," Paul pleaded. Dawn was shocked to hear that tone in his voice. "We work because we do. I keep you grounded, and you make me happy. That's all there is to it."

"You don't understand, Paul…" her voice trailed off.

"No!" Now his eyes were pleading with her. "This is what we are fixing. Why are you doing this?"

"I'm not doing anything," she shot back.

_If you leave me tonight,  
I'll wake up alone,  
Don't tell me I will make it on my own.  
Don't leave me tonight,  
This heart of stone will sink 'til it dies,  
If you leave me tonight._

"Hush, this is what we are stopping."

Her eyes softened, losing the angry glint they had in them. "Right, I'm sorry."

"What is this questioning about, Dawn?"

She drew in a deep breath. This was what she had been preparing herself for.

"I want to have a child, Paul, and I know you don't want one."

Dawn saw him freeze. She could see the words she had just said making their way into his brain, where they settled. He was staring at her, and his grip on her hand tightened.

"Why?"

"Why do I want one?"

He nodded slowly. "Everything is fine. If it ain't broke…" he trailed off.

"I love kids, Paul. I want one of my own. But I can't do this if you don't want to have one with me."

"But have you thought of our situation now? You can't have a child, Dawn."

The anger came back. "What do you mean I can't have a kid?"

"We just bought a bar. We both work now. Who's going to stay home and take care of it?"

"A baby is not an it," she retorted.

"Fine. My point is, there is no way we can take care of a newborn baby at the moment."

His voice remained calm, she noticed. And she also noticed that phrase…

_At the moment._

"Wait. I'm confused. You're not against a baby?"

Paul shook his head. "Just not right now."

She felt a grin come to her face.

"Paul!"

She leant across the counter and despite his protests kissed him. She felt him embrace her and return it. When they parted she stared into his eyes.

"You have no idea how much I love you, Paul."

"I don't want anything to happen to us. If we need a baby to do that, then I will do all I can to have a baby. I'm not going to lose you, Dawn."

_Sometimes I stare at you while you are sleeping,  
I listen to your breathing,  
Amazed how I somehow managed to,  
Sweep you off of your feet girl,  
Your perfect little feet girl,  
I took for granted what you do,  
But I'll do better.  
I know, baby I can do better._

The guarded look came back on to his face. He had said all he felt he needed to.

Dawn smiled at him. Already, he was becoming more open. They were mending.

She didn't worry that he wasn't going to say any more. The fact that he had not yelled at her, had accepted her suggestion was enough.

She had no idea when the time would come, but Paul would keep his word.

And that was enough for her.

The fact that he would do this for her – and she knew he would love having a child around when the day eventually came.

It proved how much he loved her.

That was all the reassurance she needed.

Dawn went back to work, confident in the fact that Paul would always support her.

She turned in time to see Misty hurrying Drew into the bar and sitting him down beside her and Ash.

She saw May looking at him, a worried look in her eye, and Dawn gave her the all clear to go to him.

_If you leave me tonight,  
I'll wake up alone,  
Don't tell me I will make it on my own.  
Don't leave me tonight,  
This heart of stone will sink 'til it dies,  
If you leave me tonight._

"Drew?"

May rushed to him, and took a chair and seated herself beside him.

She hugged him. "It's going to be okay, okay? I'm here with you."

"They're dead," he got out. His voice was hoarse and rasping.

"I'll be back," she said, and went and got a glass of water. She returned and handed it to him.

Then she sat back beside him, and held him.

"All of them?" she whispered, tears coming to her eyes.

Drew nodded. "Bar one. They didn't find my niece. Misty said she's still alive."

May looked over at Misty. She was on the verge of tears, and May noticed Ash saying comforting words to her.

"Misty doesn't tell lies."

Drew chuckled for a brief second. "So she's said."

May smiled. "I'm not going to leave you, okay? I'm going to help you find her, and when we find her, we'll take care of her. She won't be left alone either. None of us will. It's going to be alright."

The conviction in her words left Drew startled. He had never seen her this determined before. But he nodded with her.

He had to believe her.

And he wanted to.

Because she was May.

Everything was going to be okay.

_And don't you know,  
My heart is pumping,  
Oh, it's putting up the fight.  
And I've got this feeling,  
That everything's alright.  
Don't you see?  
I'm not the only one for you,  
But you're the only one for me._

"I told him." Misty said simply.

"I figured."

She glared at him, and despite of the situation, he felt a smile come to his face.

"Come on, Mist."

And she felt a smile come to her face as well. She hugged him.

"I missed you," he mumbled into her hair.

"I missed you too," she replied.

"Have you done enough soul searching now?" he asked. "I know it's selfish of me, but I don't want you to go again."

"I know, I don't want to go either…" she trailed off.

He sighed and they separated. "What's up, Mist?"

When she spoke her voice was slow, like she was being careful with what she said.

"I know what I want to do, Ash," she began. "I want to help people when they need help the most. I want to be someone special."

His heart began beating faster. "You are special, Mist. Please don't tell me you're going to go again."

She held his hand, comforting him.

_If you leave me tonight,  
I'll wake up alone._

"I want to get a real job instead of a volunteer. And that means I'll have to go and do more training." She saw the crestfallen look in his eyes, and realised how she was coming off. "Ash, don't get the wrong idea."

"Just tell me what you want to do, Mist."

She tilted her head. She could have sworn that was the first thing she had told him. Oops.

"I want to be a paramedic."

Then she saw the smile return to his face, reaching into his eyes. The relief on his face was clear.

"Geez Mist. Why did you have to make it sound like it was going to be a bad thing?"

She laughed quietly. "Sorry. It kind of slipped my mind."

He kissed her.

"You're going to be a great paramedic, I know you will."

_If you leave me tonight,  
I'll wake up alone,  
Don't tell me I will make it on my own.  
Don't leave me tonight,  
This heart of stone will sink 'til it dies,  
If you leave me tonight.  
Don't leave me tonight._

Leaf finished her song. She drew in a breath and looked around the bar. She smiled at what she saw.

There were Drew and May, and Ash and Misty. They were talking quietly in their couples and sharing romantic gestures.

Then there was Dawn and Paul.

Dawn's eyes were on her, while Paul was looking at someone else. She followed his gaze to land on a familiar face.

He was looking at her, and when he noticed she was looking at him, stood up and began making his way to the stage.

Dawn motioned her head in an encouraging way, so Leaf set her guitar down and sat on the edge of the stage.

Her heart was pounding and she could see he looked the worry on his face as well. At least she wasn't the only one.

"Umm… Hi." It was all she could manage to say. She licked her lips nervously.

"Paul told me to talk to you."

"Do you want to talk to me?"

She saw him swallow. Oh God, what if he didn't?

"Uh, yeah, I did. I just wanted to-"

"No." She cut him off, determined. "I need to say something first."

He didn't say anything in response, choosing to sit beside on the stage.

"I need to explain to you why I did what I did. Because I haven't given you a reason, and that's not fair… on either of us."

She began to play with a lock of her hair, unsure of what to say. Eventually she opened her mouth again.

"You can't cut me off okay? It might be confusing, because I'm confused as well. But just… bear with me."

He nodded. There was nothing but seriousness in his eyes.

"Right. We got together and I was the happiest person alive. I really was." She smiled sadly. "Then after we'd been going out a while I got scared. I started thinking back to highschool, and how you would never date a person for any more than three months. And we'd been going out way longer than that."

She licked her lips again, seeing his face darken. She continued, "That was wrong of me, I know, but… I was pretty messed up. You know, when I play my music, and people come up to me and tell me they can relate to my songs, and they tell me all their stories. I started getting these stories in my head, and I couldn't think about anything else. Whenever you came home late I would think it was because you were cheating on me with some other girl.

"And I knew it was ridiculous but I just couldn't stop. And the more I tried not to think these things the more I kept thinking them and eventually I… I… I got mad."

The tears came to her eyes and she didn't even try to stop them from falling. Nor did he try and wipe them away.

"I thought that if I could do it, then we would be even. I was so certain…I didn't think I had anything to lose." She drew in a deep, shaky breath.

"And in the end I lost the thing I loved the most."

Then Gary hugged her. He rubbed her back, and played with her hair. She sobbed into his shoulder all the while.

Then he whispered in her ear, "Leaf, I loved you more than you could ever know. I changed my whole life for you…I can't understand why you couldn't see that. But the fact is you didn't. And we can't change that."

She withdrew from him. "I don't deserve you, Gary. I just hope we can still be friends."

He shook his head. "I don't want to just be friends with you, Leaf. I never have. My first crush was on you, did you know? That's how I got my first girlfriend. I wanted you to notice me like that." He chuckled, "It didn't really work though."

"Didn't I slap you for dumping her a week later?" Leaf asked, smiling as well.

"We can't change that you didn't see I had changed for you. We can only change what will happen in the future. And the fact is, Leaf… I can't see your future without seeing you forever regretting losing me."

"Why are you reading my future?" she asked, curious, sniffing.

He voice was steady when he spoke again. "Because I can't see mine at the moment. And that's because it could turn out two very different ways."

"What are they?"

"One way, I'm unhappy because I lost my best friend and can't ever trust her again. So I have to go and start my whole life afresh. The other way, I'm unhappy because I don't know if I can trust the best friend that I have."

"What would it take to make you trust your best friend?"

He shrugged. "I don't know yet. Maybe she could tell me?"

Leaf shook her head. "I don't think you should ever trust her again."

"Now, you see. That's not very helpful." He smirked. "If I didn't trust that then that would mean I should trust her judgement. If I trust that then I shouldn't have trusted it in the first place."

She hit him as she smiled. "Stop it."

"What else am I supposed to do?"

Leaf sighed, "I don't know." She hesitated before saying her next words, "This might just be my selfish reasoning, but neither of our lives will be happy if you leave. So maybe, for the moment, you could stay?"

He grinned. "I'd like that."

And she smiled.

_**Pokémon**_

**And the LeafGreenShippingness that you have all been waiting for has arrived! And it should, because there are only three chapters left :( **

**Wow this chapter was long. I'm sorry if there are mistakes but I've read this through a few times and it does get really repetitive after a while. But I think I've got most of them at least.**

**Aspects of the song applied to all of them so I thought I would spread the love around a bit. **

_**Replies to Reviews – **_

_Neon-Night-Light – _Thank you for the lovely review :) In the earlier chapters I did worry about the characterization of the characters, but I don't think I worry about it as much now this far into the story, purely because I think there can be character growth in stories, as there is in the anime. So although the base personalities should be similar, authors can have a bit of leniency as the stories progress. That's my excuse anyway haha.

_CierraLuvsPokemon4Eva – _There are probably mistakes in this, just warning you haha. I swear you have a super eye that just picks them easy as pie. Drew's sister and her husband, as well as their son and dead :( I'm sorry if that wasn't clear. Aw, your kind words are appreciated so much.

_Squirtlepokemon215 – _Thanks for the review. I'm so happy now the couples are making up. I like writing happy scenes more than sad ones.

_Ka-tay's mind – _I couldn't kill all of them :) Bittersweet maybe?

_Desert – _Thanks for the review :) I'm glad you liked it.

_Eeveexme – _I hope this had enough Leafgreen and Pokeshipping for you :) Actually I think this chapter had a little bit of everything. Yay!

_The Ice Sorceress – _All will be revealed in the next few chapters ;) I'm happy they are fixing things as well! Haha. Thanks for your kind words.

_TheScoutFinch – _Aww. No! I don't want you to cry haha. But I'll take it as a good thing :) Thanks for all your reviews.

_XWhiteChanX – _Haha, yeah… I've always thought Drew and Gary are a little slow. Even in the anime. Maybe not in the Sinnoh region episodes, but definitely in the early ones. I like sweet seductive Paul haha. I was thinking of the Pokémon Ranger games when I was naming Misty's team so that's where Heath's name comes from. I don't particularly like it either, but it sounded like a big burly buff name.

_Ern Estine 13624 – _Thanks for your review. I'm glad you liked it :)

_Shippings – _Thanks for your reviews every chapter. They make me so happy. :) I'm so glad everyone is getting back together as well. It's more fun to write.

_MudkipLover33 – _Aw. Thank you :) I hope you found this chapter good. I try.

_Iheartmuusic – _I'm so glad you enjoyed the chapter and you thought I kept them in character. That's always my aim. I couldn't dare let Misty forget about Ash. I actually debated whether to have Leaf's guitar break in one of the chapters, but then I couldn't think of a way of her getting a new one within the next chapter haha. I hope you enjoyed this chapter.

_Cherrylovesshipping – _I like writing ikari. They are very interesting to write. Thanks for your review and I hope you enjoyed this chapter :)

_Akatsuki Sakura Uchiha – _I'm so glad that you liked the last chapter. And I hope you enjoyed this chapter as well. Thanks for your review :)

**And that's it. Thanks again to everyone who has reviewed/favourite/alerted. Every one means so much to me. Even when I log on and someone has viewed my stories makes my day. **

**And I am going to be annoying and plug my other stories. **_**An Oak's Leaf**_** is about Leaf and Gary's relationship throughout points of their lives and **_**The Silent Voices **_**is a new one. It's a highschool fic dealing with real life issues in a story form. And it's got all the same shippings as this story. **

**Cheers guys :)**


	12. Chapter 12

**Disclaimer: I do not own Pokémon or the song, **_**Maybe**_**.**

**Chapter 12 – Maybe**

"Leaf!"

"Tati, what have you done now?"

The girl was covered in paint; every possible shade of red, yellow, green and blue. In her hand she held an A3 piece of paper, also decorated in the colours.

"I was painting, Leaf. See? I painted a picture of us!" Tati held out the page to Leaf, and she took it. What she saw on the page brought a smile to her face, and it was a real, genuine smile, one that never appeared when she was around children.

"It's beautiful, Tatiana," Leaf whispered. It was a simple painting, not that Leaf had expected a masterpiece from the young girl, but the thought that had gone into it was clear to her.

At its centre were two people, a tall one with long, brown hair, and a smaller one with dark green hair, almost black. The pair were holding hands. They were standing in a park, surrounded by trees and flowers, and the sun was bright yellow in the very blue sky above them.

"You need to sign it," Leaf said.

"What does that mean?" Tatiana asked, tilting her head to one side.

Leaf went and fetched a black marker and when she returned she lay the painting on the ground and knelt beside it, so she was Tatiana's height. Then she handed the girl the marker.

"I'm going to keep this painting, okay? And I'll place it on the fridge in my apartment. When people come over, they'll see the painting and they will know that it was you that painted it. All you have to put is your name in the bottom right corner."

Tatiana nodded her head enthusiastically. Then, trying to keep her writing as neat as she could, she signed her name.

"Are you really going to put it on your fridge?" she asked, "Aren't there other things you have on it already?"

Leaf could see the doubt in Tatiana's eyes. She didn't believe her painting was good enough to be on Leaf's fridge.

"Nothing I have on my fridge is as important as this painting," she said with a smile.

Tatiana's eyes brightened, and she threw her arms around Leaf's neck. Then Leaf felt something she had never felt before. There was a small little flutter of affection for the girl hugging her, and a small sense of belonging that she hadn't felt since Gary broke up with her. For the first time since Leaf began volunteering at the orphanage, she felt a sense of love for what she was doing.

She wrapped her arms around Tatiana's small frame, not caring that she was getting paint all over herself. In that moment, she resolved to find a home for Tatiana. She had no idea where it would be, or who it would be with, but she had to make sure that she found a place where she would be loved and have a family.

_**Pokémon**_

The sun was visible through the clouds for the first time in days. To celebrate the occasion, Misty and Ash were having a picnic in the park. They talked about lots of things, but after the events of the night before, the topic of Drew's missing niece soon arose.

"I don't know what to do, Ash." Misty rested her head on her knees, tilting it slightly so she could see her boyfriend. "I told him she was still alive, and I have no idea if she actually is."

He reached out and took one of her hands in his, rubbing comforting circles against the back of it with his thumb.

"You wouldn't have said it unless you truly believed it. I don't have any doubt that she is alive, because you said it, Mist. Nothing that comes out of your mouth has been untrue before."

Still…" she trailed off, letting her eyes drift to the ground. "I just don't know how to find her."

"You're clever, you can figure this out." He moved closer and wrapped his arms around her. She returned the gesture, and both remained silent for a while.

It was nice, embracing like that, Misty thought. It was like the pair were the only ones alive in the world, despite the rustle of leaves in the wind and the cries of children on the playground disrupting them.

"Anyway," Ash began, increasing the distance between them again, "I should go. I have a shift at the orphanage soon. You'll be alright here, won't you?"

He stood up, and started to pack away all the utensils and excess food, not noticing that Misty had not yet moved, frozen in place.

"Ash," she whispered. He looked at her, and she met his gaze. Her lip was quivering, like she wanted to talk but couldn't. He dropped to his knees beside her.

"Misty, what's wrong?" he asked.

Misty swallowed, and when spoke, it was like she was forcing herself not to break down. "The orphanages. If she was alive, she would be at one. That's how we are going to find her. We can get her name off Drew, and ask around at the orphanages."

He leaned in and kissed her.

"We're going to find her."

_**Pokémon**_

That day, Dawn was supposed to be working the same shift as Ash. Much to her dismay though, there were urgent matters at the bar that needed to be attended to. She had been there since she had woken up, and it was now mid-afternoon.

She wiped a wet hand across her brow, effectively doing nothing to remove the sweat that had built up there. A cloth was passed to her which she took gratefully and repeated the action. Then she felt a pair of arms wrap around her from behind, and a voice in her ear said, "This is going to be worthwhile."

She sighed, "It's going to take a lot of work."

"That's what we signed up for though."

_We._ She would never get sick of hearing him say that word.

He spun her around, and kissed her neck, working his way up to her lips.

They continued for a while, until she finally broke it. "We're seriously going to make out like a couple of teenagers right now? Really?"

He shrugged. "Why not?" She could feel his hot breath on her, and it sent a shiver up her spine; one that he could feel as well. But before they could start again, a voice cut in.

"Just get a room, why don't you?"

Dawn jumped and spun around, although Paul didn't lose his grip on her. She looked at the newcomer sheepishly.

"It was fine until you decided to trespass on private property, Gary," Paul said.

Gary was standing in the doorway, hair messed up slightly from the gentle wind blowing outside.

"Sorry, I'll knock louder so that the whole city can hear next time."

By the time he had fetched himself a glass of water and sat himself on one of the bar stools, Dawn had regained her composure.

"Why are you here?" she asked simply, sitting across from him.

"I requested a few days off from work."

He didn't make any move to say anything else, so she asked the obvious question, "Any why would you do that?"

"Because his feelings for Leaf are affecting his work," Paul stated before Gary could answer.

Gary scowled at him. "You think you know me, don't you? You always say what I'm thinking, why I do things. I've barely even know you for a couple of months."

"But I'm right, aren't I?" Paul questioned, helping himself to Gary's drink.

"Do you need any help here?" Gary asked Dawn, making a point of ignoring Paul.

She smiled at him. "Actually, I want a break. I've been working here all day. But I'm sure Paul would love some help finishing the bathrooms."

With that, she stood and the left the pair to their work.

_**Pokémon**_

May dug her hand through her bag, desperately trying to find the keys that she knew she put in there when she left. Her groceries were in the other hand, making life difficult. After a while, she gave up, and banged her free hand against the door.

"Drew, it's me. I can't find my keys. Let me in."

She rested her ear against the door, but could hear no sound of Drew inside. Again she knocked.

"Drew, unlock the door."

Still, there was no noise from within. She sighed angrily, and dropped her groceries on the floor. She pulled her bag off her shoulder, and after some more rummaging, found her keys. After she unlocked the door, she shrugged her coat off and grabbed her bags off the floor.

"Geez, Drew. Why wouldn't you help me?"

There was no answer. It was at this point May began to get worried.

"Drew? Drew? Where are you?"

May began to search the flat, looking in every room carefully. With every room she checked, she moved more frantically. Drew was not anywhere there. He had said he wouldn't leave the flat while she was out. He had promised her.

"Damn it, Drew," she muttered. May pulled out her phone, and was halfway through dialling his number when she noticed his was sitting on the kitchen counter where he had left it last night. She held back a whimper, before grabbing her coat and rushing out of the flat.

As she ran down the stairs she dialled another number into her phone.

"_Hey May. How are you?"_

She was outside now, and started walking down the street. As she went, she shook her head from side to side, trying to keep an eye out for Drew.

"Hi Dawn. I'm fine. Listen, have you heard anything from Drew today?"

"_Drew? No I haven't. I didn't want to ask him to come in after everything that has happened. Is something wrong?"_

"I'm not sure. He's still upset, which is understandable, but when I got home from the shop he wasn't home, and he's left his phone on the counter."

"_No need to worry. We'll find him. I'm sure he is fine. I'll ring Paul and ask him to keep an eye out as well."_

"Thank you, Dawn."

"_No worries. Calm down, May. It'll be alright. Tell you what. Why don't you meet me at the coffee shop just down from the orphanage? We haven't had a chance to talk in ages."_

May slowed to a halt, taking in a few deep breaths. Dawn was right. She was probably worrying over nothing. Drew could take care of himself.

"Sure. I'll meet you there in ten."

_**Pokémon**_

Drew was wandering aimlessly through the streets of Snowpoint City. He had left shortly after May, just wanting to be alone. He needed some time to think through his issues.

She was being so good to him. Never had she given up on him, even when she could have. Even when she _should_ have. She was truly one of the kindest girls he had ever met. He always thought back to the kiss they had shared, back when he was at his worst. Perhaps it was possible that she loved him then. But he was too messed up for that right now. Maybe when this had all settled down, he would think about it.

No. When this was all over, he would hold her and never let her go. She was special. He had just never realised it.

But that would be when this was all over.

He had reached the park by this time, and sat on one of the benches surrounding the playground. There were all the young children, climbing, swinging, running. They were all happy. All of them had a loving family, a warm bed to sleep in at night.

And somewhere, his poor niece would be living the life of an orphan. She didn't have to live a life like that. When he found her, she would have a home. It would be hard, but he would do it somehow. He would take her into his home.

Then the tears began. He tried to wipe them away, but his hands wouldn't move. So what if people saw him crying? They didn't know all that had been happening to him. But then the chills set in, and he shivered in his jumper. He had to get somewhere warm. The first place he thought of was the bar, so that was where he headed.

By the time he reached the bar, the depressing thoughts had begun to set in. What if they couldn't find her? What if she had already died when she was alone and lost and scared? He pushed open the door and stumbled in, before falling to the floor. The tears were flowing even more freely now, and he barely noticed Paul and Gary picking him up and setting him down on a chair.

What if she had been in the woods alone for days before she finally succumbed to hunger and thirst? What if some wild animals had attacked her? What if she had survived an attack but instead bled to death by the side of a rode while cars desperate to get away drove past her?

Why wasn't anyone letting him think these thoughts? Why were they all telling him that they were going to find her? No one was telling him the truth. And it was the least that he deserved.

"Drew! Drew!"

He snapped out of his thoughts, and looked, glassy eyed up at Gary and Paul above him. They were blurry, and he couldn't focus on either of their faces.

"Dude, what's going on?"

He shook his head defiantly, hiccupping instead of replying.

"Shit," Gary swore. He looked over at Paul, asking the silent question, "What do we do?"

In response, Paul went and dragged a chair over. Before he sat beside Drew, he whispered in Gary's ear, "We have to stay with him. But he needs someone who can comfort him, better than we can. You know who you have to call."

Gary nodded, and then stepped outside. He pulled out his phone, and went straight to May's number.

_**Pokémon**_

May arrived at the coffee house, and saw Dawn sitting by one of the windows. She pulled out a chair and sat down opposite her.

"Don't you just wish, there could be a day, where we don't have to worry about any of our problems?" May asked.

"If we only had happiness all the time, we wouldn't know it as happiness anymore," Dawn replied, a smile on her face.

"Aren't you chipper," May commented, "any particular reason why?"

"Well, since you asked," Dawn began, "Paul has agreed to have a baby." The smile grew and lit up her whole face. May gave a little squeal.

"Oh my God! Dawn, that is such good news. I am so happy for you!"

Dawn laughed, "I know. I am too. But then I feel bad because you're still going through your thing with Drew, and Leaf and Gary still aren't back together."

"Are you crazy?" May shrieked, "Don't worry about us. You go make that baby already."

Dawn opened her mouth to speak, but another voice cut her off, "Dawn, you didn't tell me you were going to have a baby!"

And then they became a trio, as Leaf pulled up a chair between them. "I'm so happy for you two," she gushed.

"Wait, I'm not pregnant yet," Dawn giggled. "We're just thinking of having one."

Leaf shrugged. "Same thing."

"It is not," Dawn scolded. "Anyway, didn't you just get back from your shift? You're not usually so happy when you finish."

"Well, I-"

Then a buzzing interrupted her.

"Sorry," May apologized, "I should get this." She stood up, and left the two to discuss their work.

"Gary? What's up?"

"_May, you have to come to the bar now. Drew's here, and he's not in a good way."_

May frowned, and looked back at Dawn and Leaf. Why did bad things always happen right when she was feeling better?

"I'm on my way."

_**Pokémon**_

Misty went to Ash's shift with him. She figured that it would be easier for her to check if Drew's niece had, by a great deal of luck, ended up at the Snowpoint orphanage.

Upon entering, she noticed Ash had been snowballed by a young girl. She was a pretty young thing, with dark green hair and soft brown eyes.

"Ash, aren't you going to introduce me to your friend?" Misty asked, eager to meet the orphan that was so attached to her boyfriend.

"Oh yeah. Um, Tatiana, this is Misty, my girlfriend," he said.

Tatiana's eyes widened. "Girlfriend?" She turned and looked back at Ash. "I thought Leaf was your girlfriend!"

The two adults both laughed.

"No, honey," Misty said. "I am Ash's girlfriend. But I was wondering if you could help me with something."

This caught both Ash and Tatiana's attention. It was an idea that Misty had just thought of. It would certainly be a lot quicker if it worked.

"Do you know many of the girls here, Tatiana?" Misty asked.

Tatiana nodded her head. "I know all of them." She smiled proudly.

"Good girl. I was wondering, are there any girls here that have the last name Jacobs?" It was a long shot, she knew, but she thought she would ask anyway.

But Tatiana was nodding her head, more vigorously this time. "Yes! My name is Jacobs!"

_**Pokémon**_

May hurried to the bar straight after the call. After briefly explaining the situation to Dawn and Leaf, they had decided to go with her. When the trio arrived there, she left them immediately and rushed straight to Drew's side.

"Drew… do you try to worry me so much on purpose? Why didn't you tell me where you went?"

He didn't reply, and wouldn't meet her gaze, choosing to shrug in response to her question.

"Oh Drew…" She held him close to her. "Listen to me. Everything's going to be okay…"

She felt him stiffen, and let go of him in surprise. His fists were clenched, and tears were sliding down his face.

"I'm sick of everyone telling me it's going to be okay!" he yelled. "What if it's not? Then you all would have just gotten my hopes up for no reason. Why aren't you being honest with me?"

No one answered him. No one was sure how to respond to his question. May stood up and stepped back in shock. She turned to look helplessly at Gary, a question in her eyes.

_What is going on?_

It was Paul that finally broke the silence, by sliding his chair away from Drew. Then he looked pointedly at Leaf. She noticed this, and then began shaking her head. He didn't stop looking at her, despite her constant wavering eyes.

Eventually, she succumbed. She took in a deep breath, wondering why it had to be her that talked to Drew right now. Obviously Paul thought she could say something, she just wasn't sure what. None of her experiences could possibly relate to Drew, and even if she had the story, she didn't have the words.

But as she took the few steps to stand beside Drew, she realised an important thing.

Her words had helped, even if she didn't mean to. Ash and her had written a song for Misty. May had used her words to first talk to Drew. Without her words, Dawn and Misty would never have connected. Paul would never have convinced Gary to give her a second chance without them.

It would be rusty; she didn't have her guitar with her. So accapella it would have to be. She knelt beside him, and rested a hand on his knee.

_Didn't you wanna hear  
the sound of all the places we could go?  
Do you fear  
the expressions on the faces we don't know?  
It's a cold, hard road when you wake up,  
and I don't think that I have the strength  
to let you go._

Every now and again Gary noticed Leaf would look at him. Those forest green eyes, which had always managed to capture his gaze, had not changed one bit. But the rest of her had.

She looked older now, more mature. Months of emotional pain had thinned her face, and the lips that were once a vibrant red were now look washed out. The rest of her body was also thinner, and her fingers looked fragile, like they would break at his touch.

They had both lost so much when they separated, but she had lost much more than he had. She had _nothing_ left to lose. It pained him to think she had been through much, and all because of him as well, but there was nothing that could be done about it. What was in the past was in the past, and they could only look to the future now.

_Maybe it's just me.  
Couldn't you believe that everything I said and did  
wasn't just deceiving?  
And the tear in your eye,  
and your calm, hard face  
makes me wish that I was never brought into this place._

There was a waver in her voice on that last note that he just couldn't ignore. Gary crossed the short distance between them in an instant, and took her free hand in his. He felt her flinch slightly at his touch, but then she returned the gesture, and their fingers clasped together. Now she didn't look at him; she knew he was there with her, and wouldn't leave her to do this alone.

They had to put aside all that happened to be there for Drew. Leaf was the only one that Drew would listen to right now, and Leaf wouldn't be able to do it without Gary's help. The emotional strain would be too much.

As she sang Gary realised that Paul had meant for him to call Leaf all along. May was the closest, but that wasn't what Drew needed. He needed someone who would be honest with him, like he wanted, and May wouldn't have been able to provide that.

But Leaf would.

Leaf could make anyone listen, no matter what the situation was. In the beginning, Gary had accused Leaf of treating him like one of the people she sang to of a night. In reality, she never treated him like that, because those people that she sang to listened. Through the course of their relationship, Gary didn't listen to her. He stopped hearing her concerns, too happy to be in a relationship with her to the point where he wasn't even envious of single guys.

_There goes my ring,  
it might as well have been shattered.  
And I'm here to sing  
about the things that mattered.  
About the things that made us feel alive for oh so long.  
About the things that kept you on my side when I was wrong._

That was where they went wrong. He thought their relationship was perfect. But he never thought to tell her that. Instead, she was suffocating in a cocoon of hypotheticals and unspoken words. It blindsided him when eventually the unthinkable happened, and he couldn't understand how it had all gone horribly wrong.

Now he understood though. Now he listened to her. Now he had learned that it was because she had been so worried about something going wrong, because she thought that what she had was perfect, and perfect didn't last forever. He should have done something about it. He hated himself for not noticing. He had thought he was going so well, and it was because of that she had thought the way she had.

_Maybe it's just me.  
Couldn't you believe that everything I said and did  
wasn't just deceiving?  
And the tear in your eye,  
and your calm, hard face  
makes me wish that I was never brought into this place._

It was confusing. Leaf was confusing. Despite that though, he loved her. He always had. She was the girl next door, always. They had been through thick and thin together when they were little, and they had been through thick and thin now when they were both older and more mature.

Still, he wasn't certain. There was just no trust left. Something had to change; something had to happen. He needed something from her, so that they could regain the trust that had been lost. She hadn't done anything on purpose, but she had still done it.

Gary looked around the room. He saw Dawn had come to stand by Paul, her hands around his neck as she stood behind him. May had moved in as well, to stand opposite Drew, between Gary and Dawn. They formed a little circle.

It was strange how they had all met. Their little group of eight, for Misty and Ash were a part of it as well, had come to mean so much to him. Although none of the situations they had been in were the same, they could all relate to each other, because it had all occurred because of love.

_And someday, I promise I'll be gone.  
And someday, I might even sing this song to you.  
I might even sing this song to you.  
To you, to you, to you...  
And I was crying alone tonight,  
and I was wasting all of my life  
just thinking of you.  
So just come back,  
we'll make it better.  
So just come back,  
I'll make it better than it ever was.  
I'll make it better than it ever was.  
_

Gary squeezed Leaf's hand. He could hear she was struggling now, trying not to cry. If she began to cry, Drew would stop listening, because her message would be the same. It was clear to Gary that Leaf had wrote this song after they had broken up, but right now, it had a different meaning.

Gary listened to it just the same though. He listened to every word, taking in what Leaf had wanted to tell him if she wasn't singing to Drew. This was her plea: that he could possibly forget what happened, and started again, because she couldn't live without him.

Alternatively, Drew would understand the song to be about his family. He didn't want to let them go, and couldn't let them go, so he was thinking about all the things he could have done to change events.

The chorus was coming up, and Gary knew Leaf needed him. So, hesitantly, he opened his mouth and began to sing with her.

_Maybe it's just me.  
Couldn't you believe that everything I said and did  
wasn't just deceiving?  
And the tear in your eye,  
and your calm, hard face  
makes me wish that I was never brought into this place._

Four pairs of eyes focused on him as he sang. The only pair that didn't was Leaf. She just maintained the hold on his hand. She was completely focused on her task. She had to get Drew to listen, for everyone's sakes.

Gary made eye contact with Paul, who nodded his head slightly. Gary offered a small smile. He knew what he had to do now, what _they_ needed to do now. But now wasn't the right time to act on it. Right now, Drew needed him. All of his issues and worries could wait until this was over. Leaf would understand.

In fact, for this brief period of time, she had forgotten.

_I want it all, don't leave right now.  
I'll give you everything._

Light green eyes met forest green. She didn't break the contact, and neither did he. It was working, what she was doing. She was doing something good. She was doing something right. Nothing could stop her now.

Leaf could feel Gary's supporting hand, and she felt the presence of all of her friends around her. Drew could feel them all too.

_Maybe it's just me.  
Couldn't you believe that everything I said and did  
wasn't just deceiving?  
And the tear in your eye,  
and your calm, hard face makes me wish  
that I was never brought into this place.  
Maybe it's just me_

At last, she finished. There was silence across the bar. Then Drew uttered a single word, "Thanks."

_**Pokémon**_

Misty was running to the bar. She had stayed for a while at the orphanage, asking Tatiana questions and confirming her suspicions.

_She had found her._

Finally, after all this time, she would have good news to tell Drew. But this wasn't over the phone news, this was face-to-face news. So she had called his phone, and when she was unable to reach him, called May, who had informed him they were all at the bar.

It was a shame that Ash had to remain at the orphanage. Although, she hadn't particularly wanted to stay with him either. Tatiana had started to ask questions about Misty's curiosity with her. They had silently agreed not to tell her about Drew.

There was still one question that puzzled her and she wanted an answer to.

_Why hadn't the orphanage been trying to find any known relatives?_

She put it down to the state the region was in at the moment. They were still trying to smooth over their international relations. She doubted the orphans held much priority at the moment; which was sad, but inevitable.

The bar was lit up by lights, and Misty could see the crowd beginning to enter for the night. Upon walking inside, she saw four of her friends sitting at the bar, sharing a drink. Dawn and May were busy serving.

She wasn't to know what had happened through the day, so when she came up to them, a smile on her face, she was confused by the sombre faces that greeted her.

Breathless from her run through the city, she drew in a deep breath, calming herself. This caught all of their attention.

"What's happened, Misty?" Gary asked, concern evident in his voice.

"I found her," she whispered breathlessly.

It was one of those slow motion movie reactions. Leaf squealed excitedly, and jumped up and hugged her, while Gary and Paul looked at each other incredulously, before genuine smiles spread across their faces. Drew just stared at her, unsure whether to believe her or not.

"You… found her?" he asked cautiously.

Misty nodded her head enthusiastically. "I found her. Miss Tatiana Jacobs, resident-"

"Of the Snowpoint orphanage. Oh my God."

It was Leaf that had interrupted her. Now she was stunned. Her little Tatiana was Drew's niece. He had been trying to find her, and Leaf had known where she was all along.

"I'm with her every day," Leaf whispered. "Oh my God, I'm so sorry Drew. If I had known her name I could have told you sooner…" she trailed off, tears forming in her eyes. In another reflex reaction, Gary stood up and held her, as she cried into his shoulder.

"Shhh, Leaf," he comforted. "That's not important. She's found now. That's all that matters."

And then Drew was up on his feet. Tears of happiness were falling down his face, and he practically leapt on top of Misty. She laughed, and threw her arms around him. By now Dawn and May had both noticed something was going on, and had made their way over.

"What's going on?" May asked.

Drew separated from Misty and ran around the bar to her. His arms wrapped around her and he jumped up and down, spinning in a circle.

"She found her. She's alive. She's at the orphanage!" he cried.

"Drew!" May squealed, now laughing as well.

Dawn went and procured seven drinks, and they all celebrated for a little while. Each person was happier; all their spirits had lifted from the unhappiness they were feeling before because of this miracle. There were still problems that needed to be fixed, but right now, all was good.

_**Pokémon **_

**And there was the very overdue chapter that I owe you. I just couldn't bring myself to write this chapter. I knew everything that I wanted to include, and I had all the scenarios and everything planned, but now there are only two chapters left :( I have become so attached to this story, and I will be so sorry to see it end. Then there is the usual school excuse. That's always a priority for me so I'm so appreciative you have all been patient while I went through exams and all that stuff. **

**I hope you all enjoyed this chapter. I tried so hard to make it all work and flow and all that kind of stuff. Now you all know who Drew's niece is. I had that planned from the beginning, and no one guessed that that was what was going to happen, so yay for plot twists! I must admit that I haven't checked this as much as I should have for grammar errors, but I just wanted to get it up for you all. So sorry not sorry? Haha. I'll make up for it next time. **

**Thank you for all your continued support, through the reviews, favourites and alerts. It all makes me want to write, and I have so many ideas for stories once this one finishes. Check out **_**The Silent Voices**_** if you haven't already. I'm sorry, but I had to give it a plug haha. I'll be working on a new chapter for that next. **

_**Replies to Reviews – **_

_CierraLuvsPokemon4Eva – _I already apologized for the grammar errors in this haha. You didn't embarrass yourself haha. I get lots of questions about plot things in my stories. It's something I need to work on. I tend to forget what I've written sometimes so I have to go back and check it all that I'm not adding something completely random in, and then it doesn't make sense. Thank you! I don't know what I do, and it certainly doesn't feel emotional when I write things, but to know that readers like you think they are means so much to me. Is this enough happy for you? It was fun to write something happy instead of sad for once.

_Eeveexme – _Thank you for your review! Misty's paramedic stuff will be coming up in the next chapter I think, I hope anyway haha. We'll see how it goes. I hope you're happy Drew found his niece.

_Elegante – _Aww, I'm so touched that I always make you cry. I hope this update was up to its expectations.

_KayJune – _Yay! That means so much to me. Contestshipping stuff will come up more now that his niece is found :)

_PuRpLeOcEAnRoSE0208 – _I'm glad you liked the chapter. Thank you so much for you review, it really brightened up my day. I have planned for the next chapter to be the kind of finalising everything chapter, and then the very last chapter with the last song will be a kind of epilogue, if that makes sense.

_Waterangelphoenix – _Thank you for your review :) I'm glad you liked it.

_Ka-tay's mind – _Paul is pretty cool haha. Thank you for your review :)

_XXPat4XtraShippingsXX – _I'm glad it made you feel happy! Most people say I make them sad haha. It felt good to right a happy chapter for once :)

_Flinx-ikariluv10 – _Thank you for your review! I'm glad you liked the chapter :)

_Contestshipping Pro – _Your review really made me smile. Thank you so much for it :) I'm glad people are enjoying this story. The next chapter will be the last kind of actual chapter with plot, and then the one after will be a kind of epilogue. That is how I am adding three extra chapter haha ;)

_XWhiteChanX – _Blake will be making a guest appearance next chapter :) I have to have him leave properly. Paul is quite clever isn't he? Haha. I didn't mean it to be that way initially. I was actually going to have him really mean and not caring, but I liked him better this way, and it still fits :) I can't figure out who I like Ash with. It's just easiest when writing to put him with Misty, although I quite like the idea of Paul and Misty together. Maybe that's just me. Gary and Leaf action is coming up next chapter! So excited :D

_GuiltyCrown09 – _Wow. Good on you. That would have been an effort haha. Thank you for your review :)

_ShadowAbsol13 – _Paul is a sneaky bastard haha. I always thought of him like that kind of mysterious type but he's so much fun to write. I don't even care if it's a bit OOC haha. Thanks for your review :)

_Enolaaa xxx – _Drew didn't beat May. The bruises were because she was homeless, so she was malnourished/could get sick easier/could get bruises/etc. I hope this explains it. Your English is fine :) It's a really hard language no matter how long you learn it for. Thanks for your review! It means a lot :)

_Guest – _I know. I hate it when people don't finish their stories. It is my pet peeve. I'm so determined to finish this story now. I invested so much time into it, I couldn't not finish it. You like the same pairings as me! :) Thanks for your review!

**Wow, this ended up being a really long Author's Note. Sorry about that guys! **

**But thank you for everything. I hope to post another chapter of something soon. God bless :)**


End file.
